Simple Joys in Life

Math with a Three-Year-Old

2012-01-26T06:52:00.003-06:00

Benjamin: Mommy, what's plus one equal?

Me: Ummmmm....I don't know, Benjamin!

Benjamin: Yes, you DO!

Me: Ummmmm....two?

Benjamin: Right! Now, what's plus two equal?

Me: Ummmmm....three?

Benjamin: Right! Now, what's plus three equal?

Me (cottoning on): FOUR!

Benjamin: Right! Now, what's plus four equal?

Me (I've got this in the bag!): Five!

Benjamin: NO!!!!! You so silly, Mommy.

............ pause ..................

Benjamin: Mommy, what's plus PEOPLE equal?

Me: Ummmmm....I don't know, Benjamin!

Benjamin: I believe THAT'S five, actually. Yes.

Me: ..........????????????...................

Touring DC

2011-12-20T07:55:00.004-06:00

So it's taken me a little too long to update the rest of the photos, so I'm just going to put a few up here (OK - 16). I want to update with some pictures of our trip to Alabama to ride on the Polar Express, too, so I'm going to do that right after this. Lots of pictures to catch up on!

Remember this photo?

Here he is, two years later!

Riding the Metro (aka: THE TRAIN, MAMA, WE RIDING THE TRAIN)

Anthony had the Metro map memorized by the time we had ridden it twice.

We got to go to the zoo, too! We saw lions (most important), elephants, tigers, orangutans, and found this adorable hat for my littlest lion!

After the zoo, we took the boys on a tour of the Capitol Building. Anthony recently finished a Social Studies unit on the US Government, so this was exciting (and boring) for him!

He did enjoy telling our tour guide that he knew all about the Capitol, though!

We went to the National Archives after the Capitol to let Anthony see the Constitution. We got a little bored waiting in line, so Anthony and I horsed around.

The next day, we went to the Natural History Museum to see the dinosaurs again. Here's another throw-back photo:

And two years later:

After seeing the dinosaurs, we got some popcorn and had some little friends who asked us to share.

That evening, we celebrated Mark's aunt and uncle's 50th Wedding Anniversary. It was such an honor to be there to congratulate them. They are truly a beautiful couple, and an inspiration for Mark and me on what true love is.

My mother-in-law (standing, on the right) with her sister, Carmen (standing on the left) and their sister-in-law, Ina (seated).

Mark, his brothers, and some of their cousins:

Pat and Ina, Charles and Carmen, Mike and Margaret:

Touring DC - November 24

2011-11-30T05:22:00.003-06:00

I'm going to have to do this in multiple posts because I have SO many pictures to share!

This one is clearly not from the 24th, but I couldn't resist putting up this cute picture of Benjamin passed out on the plane. He slept the entire flight from Atlanta to DC!

Anthony at the Capitol. We walked all around the outside, taking pictures. We were able to tour the Capitol on Friday.

Nanny and Teeta (also known as Nana and Grandpa) with my boys.

This is the back side of the Capitol. The front is much the same...more steps!

Godfathers with their Godsons.

After walking around the Capitol, we wandered over to the Botanical Gardens. They had put up their Christmas Train display and we saw....THOMAS THE TRAIN, MAMA! Benjamin was very excited.

Benjamin spent a lot of that day on someone's back or shoulders. I got smart and bought a small stroller the next day. But on Thanksgiving Day, he kept telling Parrain to do silly things like, "Be a wall, Parrain!" And Parrain was very willing to oblige.

Anthony had tons of questions about the Vietnam War. Some were hard to answer. Benjamin just liked looking at the American flags put up here and there.

In front of the Lincoln Memorial.

Uncle Matt tossing Anthony around. I think Anthony had had enough of walking by that point, too!

Hi, guys!

Anthony is EIGHT

2011-11-20T05:45:00.005-06:00

Doesn't eight sound so...big? How can it be that he is eight? I know I say this every year - but it's true. He is growing up so fast, and there's nothing I can do to stop it!

So, here goes.

Dear Anthony,

Eight years ago you changed my world. You've changed it every day since then, too.

You are a rational and dependable child. You don't like to break the rules too often, and when you do you really feel bad about it. If you think a rule isn't fair, you talk to me about it and discuss it. It amazes me to see how analytical you already are.

And yet, you are still a young boy. A young boy who likes to stand on the toilet seat at school to make his friends laugh, and then is confused when he gets in trouble for it. All you wanted to do was see your friends laugh, you weren't hurting anyone. It's funny to me, how smart you can be most of the time, but then sometimes can't see the rationale behind something.

You loves:
1. Star Wars. Good, Lord, George Lucas has nothing on you when it comes to Star Wars. I imagine he could learn a thing or two from you! You love the movies, TV show, books, toys, Legos...you have sheets, t-shirts, a costume. It's almost as strong as your obsession with dinosaurs was (almost...).

2. Legos. And it doesn't just have to be Star Wars. You LOVE Legos. You love to follow the instruction manual to put together a kit. But you also use any miscellaneous pieces to just build something.

3. Benjamin. You love to show him things, tell him things, teach him things. It doesn't matter to you that at three he probably won't absorb the math...you want to teach it to him. You're the one who helps him with his alphabet, or who shows him how his toys work. You constantly are thinking about him. You gave him the small toy lion you got after completing swim practice last week just because you know he loves lions. I could tell you wanted that toy, but you knew he would get so much enjoyment out of it. And he has. He has slept with it, played with it, and introduced it to his other lions.

4. School. You love to go to school. Your friends are there, you love your teacher, and you love coming home to share whatever new things you've learned at school. You are in the advanced math and reading groups, and are excelling at it all. You absorb things like a sponge, so it doesn't surprise me.

5. Mama and Daddy. You still love to give hugs and tell us you love us. You love that Daddy is your Cub Scout leader for Boy Scouts. You have a great time with him, and are so proud that he is the leader. You still love to snuggle with me, and will bring me a book (Harry Potter, right now!) for me to read to you. I get random hugs throughout the day, and I love it.

You are an amazingly sweet boy, Anthony. I can't wait to see how you take all of these wonderful pieces of who you are now, and turn them into the man I can see you becoming.

Happy Birthday!

Love, Mama

Things to Remember

2011-11-14T06:19:00.002-06:00

When Benjamin hears something that he doesn't understand, or doesn't WANT to understand, he says, "That don't make some sense!" and shakes his head in disbelief.

How tall Anthony is...never forget how TALL HE IS. The kid comes up to my arm pit! He's not even eight yet! (OK...six days away)...

Benjamin as he's falling asleep in bed, "Mom, I sure do love you."

Anthony laying in bed, with a Harry Potter book clutched to his chest, sound asleep because he got tired of waiting for me to finish with Benjamin's (long, drawn out) bedtime routine.

Benjamin saying over and over in the mornings, "I don't has school today?" and then begging to go to school an hour later.

Anthony in his jammer suit for swim practice: he looks like a stick person! All skinny arms and skinny legs and a big head. People must think we never feed this child.

Benjamin tells everyone, "It's OK if I play this here!" or "It's OK if I has this candy!" or "It's OK if you come wis me and play wis me!" He thinks that tagging on "It's OK" will make it true. Most of the time it does not make it true.

Anthony using logic. "Mom. You said I couldn't have my DSi for the weekend because of XYZ. But it's Monday now. So I'm just going to take my DSi back to my room now....", and he grabs it and runs.

Pictures from the Race

2011-11-06T05:42:00.010-06:00

My dad and I finished the race in 33:18! It's the fastest I've ever run three miles. I felt like I was on top of the world yesterday after the race - I could have moved mountains! Instead of actual mountains, though, I came home and moved mountains of homework...BORING!

Anthony and Benjamin both ran the entire 1/2 mile fun run/walk! Anthony was third past the finish line, with a time of 4:40. Benjamin took off and his grandmothers couldn't catch him, so another lady running the 1/2 mile ran with him. They crossed the finish line in 6:44.

My father-in-law, my dad and me before the race.

The walkers/runners.

Anthony crossing the finish line.

Benjamin crossing the finish line.

Anthony doubled back to finish the walk with his grandmothers.

My dad and me at the end of the race.

I love these boys so much!

Running for Anthony; Running for Life

2011-11-01T06:50:00.002-05:00

I've given myself (and others) so many excuses over the years about why I can't exercise. Funny enough, my knee has truly been a large part of my problem...sometimes it's just been a really good excuse. But when my orthopedist told me that if I wanted to run, making it clear it's not something he loves the idea of for anyone, all he would ask is that I start slowly.

So I did. I started in June with the Couch to 5K running program. I found that I was able to skip a week, and then a day here and there. I completed the program in 7 weeks instead of 9. And once I had run 3.1 miles a few times inside on a treadmill, I decided to give running outside a try. So on the first cool Saturday in September, I stepped out...ready to go. At one mile, my knee completely gave out on me and I had to practically drag myself back home (thankfully, three houses away). I was so discouraged and angry.

Back to my orthopedist who told me that the popliteal cyst behind my knee was back. I'm on anti-inflammatories now, and running again. My first run was 3 weeks ago. I made a mile and stopped, just wanting to take it slowly.

Today I ran 3.0 miles.

TODAY, I ran 3.0 miles.

Can you tell I'm still in a little bit of a shock? I. feel. GREAT. My knee is happy, my body is happy, I am happy.

And on Saturday, I will run my first "race" (I'm not racing anyone, I promise!). I am running in the Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency's Run for Life. It is a 5K (3.1 miles) and I'll be running with my dad and my father-in-law. My mom, mother-in-law and Anthony will do the 1/2 mile walk.

I am running to raise awareness for organ donation. But I'm also running for Anthony. The baby who was so sick that he might not have made it to transplant, except for his awesome team of doctors. The kid, who even when he's sick, has a smile for me and wants to tell me he loves me. The kid, who was throwing up last week, thanking me for holding him while he was throwing up.

I'm running for Benjamin. The baby who reminded me that normal is only what we define it as. The kid who is so FULL of life that I sometimes forget that he needs a snuggle and gentle hand. The kid who just grabbed my leg and said, "You needed a hug, I think." He was right. I did.

I'm not raising money, I'm not asking for donations. All I'm asking for is you to remember how important life is - and to consider being an organ donor.

Thanks.

Softly Exclaiming...

2011-09-13T07:23:00.003-05:00

Let me set the scene:

Sunday, September 11, 2011; Maw Maw and Paw Paw's house.
Me: Benjamin, would you like to go pee pee on the potty?
Benjamin: No, I don't think so.

Monday, September 12, 2011; phone call from our house to me, while I'm driving home from school.
Benjamin: Mommy, I go PEE PEE on the POTTY! I got a CANDY!
Me: Wow, way to go!

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Could it be true? Is it real? Stay tuned for "Tales from the Deep: Benjamin vs. Potty".

Benjamin's Bed Time Routine

2011-09-07T21:05:00.003-05:00

(I'm mostly posting these for posterity's sake; I know it will be fun to look back over these once the boys are older and no longer require songs, stories and night time snuggles.)

(Click here or scroll down for Anthony's Bed Time Routine.)

To start off the bed time routine, I ask Benjamin to pick out one book and he picks out five. We whittle it down to two and we're both happy. He thinks he's pulling a fast one on me, and I'm totally OK with reading two books to him.

Then we get in bed and I tell him a made-up story. As long as Thomas the Train and Benjamin are featured prominently in the story, Benjamin is happy. These are easy stories to tell; he generally rides Thomas, goes to "rescue" someone or goes to visit someone, eats grapes and drinks lemonade in the dining car, and returns home to Mommy and Daddy.

After that, I sing his first song. You'll recognize this one from Anthony's post.
The Benjamin Song
Benjamin, Benjamin, Mommy loves you.
Benjamin, Benjamin, Daddy loves you.
Benjamin, Benjamin, Anthony loves you.
Yes, we do. Boo boo.

Benjamin, Benjamin, Maw Maw loves you.
Benjamin, Benjamin, Paw Paw loves you.
Benjamin, Benjamin, they both love you.
Yes, they do. Boo boo.

Benjamin, Benjamin, Kri Kri loves you.
Benjamin, Benjamin, Mimi loves you.
Benjamin, Benjamin, Uncle Mike loves you.
Yes, they do. Boo boo.

Benjamin, Benjamin, Nana loves you.
Benjamin, Benjamin, Grandpa loves you.
Benjamin, Benjamin, they both love you.
Yes, they do. Boo boo.

Benjamin, Benjamin, Uncle Matt loves you.
Benjamin, Benjamin, Parrain loves you.
Benjamin, Benjamin, they both love you.
Yes, they do. Boo boo.

Benjamin, Benjamin, we all love you.
Benjamin, Benjamin, we all love you.
Benjamin, Benjamin, we all love you.
Yes, we do. Boo boo.

Then it's time for prayers; the same as Anthony:
Now I lay me down to sleep.
I pray thee, Lord, my soul to keep.
May angels guide me through the night,
And wake me with the morning light.

May God bless Benjamin, Mommy and Daddy, Anthony,
Maw Maw and Paw Paw,
Mimi, Kri Kri, and Uncle Mike,
Nana and Grandpa,
Parrain and Uncle Matt,
and all of our family and friends, Amen.

Then we sing the last two songs together.
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
Twinkle, twinkle, little star.
How I wonder what you are.
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky.
Twinkle, twinkle, little star.
How I wonder what you are.

This last song is a shortened version simply because the original is too long!
Somewhere Over the Rainbow
Somewhere over the rainbow,
Way up high.
There's a land that I've heard of,
Once in a lullaby.

One day I'll wish upon a star,
And wake up where the stars are far behind me.
Where troubles melt like lemon drops,
Away above the chimney tops,
That's where you'll find me.

Somewhere over the rainbow,
Blue birds fly.
Birds fly over the rainbow,
Why then oh why can't I?

And because it makes him laugh, and puts a smile on his face as he falls asleep, his stuffed lion, Leo, sings one last song.
Frosty the Snowman, the Short Version
Frosty the Snowman was a jolly happy soul.
With a corn cob pipe and a button nose,
And two eyes made out of coal.

Frosty the the Snowman was a fairy tale they say.
He was made of snow, but the children know
How he came to life one day.

There must have been some magic in that old silk hat they found.
For when they placed it on his head,
He began to dance around!

Frosty the Snowman had to hurry on his way.
So he waved goodbye, saying, "Don't you cry!"
"I'll be back again some day."

Like with Anthony, I love those few moments with Benjamin at night. He likes to have his back rubbed and I have to hold one of his hands with my other hand. It makes for an awkward position, but he is so sweet that it's hard to mind the crick in my neck afterward.

Anthony's Bed Time Routine

2011-09-07T20:50:00.002-05:00

(I'm mostly posting these for posterity's sake; I know it will be fun to look back over these once the boys are older and no longer require songs, stories and night time snuggles.)

Before I join him at bed time, Anthony reads for 15 minutes independently. This is part of his Second Grade weekly homework grade and it works out well to have him do it at bed time.

Once he's done with that, I will go lay with him and talk to him about his day. We usually talk about his favorite and least favorite parts of the day, what made that day special, and what he was most thankful for. Sometimes this doesn't work out - he doesn't always want to talk and I don't push it. I've usually found out all of this information already, but I like to tell him about my day, too, and so this comes together in a last "what are we thankful for" kind of moment.

Then we have story time; this is the newest addition to our evening line-up. It's only been in the past few months that both boys have asked for a night time story made up by me. This isn't too hard; all I have to do is make sure that Star Wars plays a prominent role, and that Anthony is a Jedi Knight who saves the galaxy. Coming up with an original plot is sometimes challenging.

After that, I sing his first song. It's one my mom sang to me, and it's one of Anthony's favorites.

Tell Me Why
Tell me why the stars do shine,
Tell me why the ivy twines,
Tell me why the sky is blue,
And I will tell you just why I love you.

Because God made the stars to shine,
And God made the ivy twine,
And God made the sky so blue,
And God made you, and that's why I love you.

After that, Anthony says his prayers. Since the day of his birth, we (I) have said,
Now I lay me down to sleep.
I pray thee, Lord, my soul to keep.
May angels guide me through the night,
And wake me with the morning light.

May God bless Anthony, Mommy and Daddy, Benjamin,
Maw Maw and Paw Paw,
Mimi, Kri Kri, and Uncle Mike,
Nana and Grandpa,
Parrain and Uncle Matt,
and all of our family and friends, Amen.

Then it's on to another song that my mom sang to me (different name, of course), and that I have sung to Anthony almost every night since he was born.
The Anthony Song
Anthony, Anthony, Mommy loves you.
Anthony, Anthony, Daddy loves you.
Anthony, Anthony, Benjamin loves you.
Yes, we do. Boo boo.

Anthony, Anthony, Maw Maw loves you.
Anthony, Anthony, Paw Paw loves you.
Anthony, Anthony, they both love you.
Yes, they do. Boo boo.

Anthony, Anthony, Kri Kri loves you.
Anthony, Anthony, Mimi loves you.
Anthony, Anthony, Uncle Mike loves you.
Yes, they do. Boo boo.

Anthony, Anthony, Nana loves you.
Anthony, Anthony, Grandpa loves you.
Anthony, Anthony, they both love you.
Yes, they do. Boo boo.

Anthony, Anthony, Uncle Matt loves you.
Anthony, Anthony, Parrain loves you.
Anthony, Anthony, they both love you.
Yes, they do. Boo boo.

Anthony, Anthony, we all love you.
Anthony, Anthony, we all love you.
Anthony, Anthony, we all love you.
Yes, we do. Boo boo.

And one last song before good night kisses and hugs.
You Are My Sunshine
You are my sunshine,
My only sunshine.
You make me happy
When skies are gray.
You'll never know, dear,
How much I love you.
Please don't take
My sunshine away.

This time with Anthony is priceless to me. I don't see an end in sight with this yet, but I'm afraid that day is coming. He will be eight soon. How much longer will it be OK for Mama to snuggle and sing to him? I'll hang on to this as long as I can.

Stay tuned for Benjamin's Bed Time Routine!

(Barely) Keeping Up

2011-08-25T12:39:00.003-05:00

Sounds heard from the back seat while driving to Maw Maw's today:

Mommy, look dat flag! Dats our Numerican flag, right, Mommy?

Why you go DIS way, Mama? Dis the way to Maw Maw's?

Why you turn left? Why dat's not left? Why dat's right?

Why you stop, Mommy? Why dat's a stop sign, Mommy?

A red light, Mama! You better STOP!

A GARBAGE TRUCK! DO YOU SEE THE GARBAGE TRUCK? IT'S A WHITE GARBAGE TRUCK!

A bus! I see a bus! Is dat Nee Nee's bus, Mama? Why dat's not Nee Nee's bus, Mama? Where dat bus going? It going home to eat lunch? Why buses eat lunch? Buses don't eat lunch! SILLY MAMA!

Hi, choo choo tracks! Why dere no train on the tracks, Mama? Why dere TWO tracks, Mama?

Why you gots to get gas, Mama? Why your car run out of gas if you don't get gas, Mama? Why you gots to drive to New Orleans, Mama?

Maw Maw's house! I see Maw Maw's house! I think Maw Maw wants to play trains wis me, and read books wis me, and play wis me! Maw Maw's my BEST friend, Mama!

BYE, Mama! DON'T BE LATE!!

(Paraphrased, with at least 20 conversations removed for the sanity of my readership.)

Organ Donation Video

2011-08-21T21:28:00.001-05:00

When we were in Omaha for the transplant reunion, Anthony was honored to be one of a handful of transplant patients interviewed for the Nebraska Medical Center's Organ Donation video. I had to wait until they uploaded it to YouTube before I could share it with you all. Anthony shows up shortly after 1 minute, 30 seconds, and is featured in five short pieces. Enjoy!

Anthony's Clinic Visit and the Transplant Reunion

2011-08-03T13:55:00.003-05:00

My grandmother sent me a sweet email to remind me that I still haven't updated on Anthony's clinic visit. Thanks, Gram!

So after the zoo on Friday morning, we went to McDonald's for lunch and back to the hotel for a quick rest.

We got to the hospital around 1:30 and wandered to the cafeteria for a quick cookie and to show Anthony the "sweets display". As you walk into the cafeteria, before you even get to the area to grab a tray, there is a big glass case with all kinds of delicious treats: cookies, cakes, pies, donuts, sugary croissants...YUM! That cafeteria puts all other hospital cafeterias to shame (and there are a few good ones out there). It took a while for the boys to decide on their treats (Anthony: oatmeal raisin, Benjamin: sugar cookie shaped like a Christmas tree (in JULY?), iced in green, with sprinkles, me: chocolate cake).

From there, we checked in at clinic and sat down in the waiting area to enjoy a few rounds of UNO before being called back. Almost as soon as I dealt the first hand, a voice came over the loudspeaker, "Attention, please. Attention, please. There is a fire emergency in your area. Please proceed to the nearest exit." No one moved, everyone looked around confused, and I could see the panic in Anthony's eyes. We all did eventually file out of the building. We hung around outside for about 10 minutes and then we were let back in. No fire today!

Once back inside, we played three or four rounds of UNO and then were called back. Anthony's blood pressure, height, weight, temperature, and eating habits were all recorded and deemed normal (100/64 for his blood pressure is all I remember). The nurse coordinator talked to Anthony about his medicine, and asked if he takes it regularly. She asked a few other questions about school, his likes and dislikes, what has he been up to this summer, etc. I just sat back and let him answer all of the questions. It's fun watching him take charge of his own "care".

The doctor came in (young, attractive, never got his name) and talked to Anthony, too. He checked out Anthony's scar, palpated for his liver and spleen, and asked a lot of the same questions the nurse coordinator asked. Again, Anthony answered everything.

The main question I had for the team was about weaning Anthony off of his anti-rejection medicine. The medicine he takes to fool his body into thinking the transplanted liver is actually his can be hard on the kidneys. Really hard on the kidneys. I don't want to get to that point with Anthony. But right now his kidneys are fine. VERY fine. And if they do start to go bad on this medicine, there is time to fix that. So right now the stance they're taking is, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." and that's fine by me. Even slowly taking Anthony off of this medicine puts him at risk of rejection and losing the transplant. That's super-scary to me; even scarier than kidney issues that can be fixed.

That evening we went to the CoCo Key water resort that is actually inside the hotel where we stayed! It has one big water slide, four smaller ones, some other fun water features, and a splash pond for the littler kids. I don't have any really good pictures of that...it was hard to keep up with both boys AND keep my camera from getting wet! I have a video of Anthony and Benjamin sliding down a small slide together. I'll try to post that soon.

The following day was the transplant reunion. We went to breakfast and then to the Kids' Playroom that the hospital sets up (all in the hotel where we were staying). There was an inflatable bounce house, baseball, golf, target practice, face painting, ring toss, Plinko, Spin Art, and much more. At each of the game stations, you could earn points. Those points could be traded in for a toy at the end of the morning. Anthony chose a game called "Guesstures" and Benjamin chose a fire truck. We went back to the room and played with the games for a little while and then went back to the reunion for lunch.

After lunch, we were able to visit with some of our transplant friends (and we made some new friends!), Anthony got in on the group photo of all liver transplant recipients present, and he was interviewed for the University of Nebraska Medical Center's promotional video! He did a stellar job. It will be posted on You Tube soon, and I'll either imbed it on this website or provide a link so everyone can see it.

We had dinner that night with a fellow transplant recipient. Ali is heading off to K-State for college. She received her liver transplant when she was an infant. We ate with Ali and her mom, Michelle.

The flight home was easy, and we were all glad to see Mark/Daddy in the New Orleans airport. I think next time we'll make a bigger vacation out if it and drive, though.

Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo

2011-07-29T12:56:00.002-05:00

We made it to the zoo this morning. We got to see the Big Cats exhibit, the Monkey, Orangutan and Gorilla exhibit, Madagascar room, Biodome, Rhinos, Sea Lions, and a few other interesting exhibits.

We rode the SkyFari gondola and the boys LOVED it. I don't like being up so high in an open ride like that, but I made it! It was really fun to see the zoo from up high, even though my heart was in my throat the whole time! Benjamin kept trying to stand up and wiggled the whole time. It was...nerve wracking. Yes. I'll leave it at that.

We also rode the train. If you know Benjamin, you'd know we would NEVER be allowed to skip riding the train. It was a real steam engine, too, so even Anthony was impressed. The train stopped once to let off some of its steam and the boys were wide-eyed at all the steam coming out from the bottom of the engine.

As we were leaving, it began to rain. We grabbed lunch at McDonald's and came back to the hotel to eat and rest. We'll leave in a few minutes for Anthony's clinic appointment.

Omaha, NE

2011-07-28T16:47:00.002-05:00

Anthony, Benjamin and I are in Omaha, NE for the next few days to attend the University of Nebraska Medical Center Transplant Reunion. Anthony will be seen in clinic tomorrow afternoon, and we will go to the reunion on Saturday. Tomorrow morning I hope to take the boys to the zoo.

I can't wait to see all of our old friends, nurses and doctors. I can't wait for them to see how awesome Anthony is doing.

Our flights here were uneventful and easy. Anthony and Benjamin are used to flying on planes. Anthony acts as if it's all boring and no big deal. Benjamin LOVES the turbulence and going UP UP UP. I'm finding it challenging to travel alone with two kids. Getting to the rental car place once we landed in Omaha was fun: me, two boys, one stroller, one rolling suitcase, two book sacks, one carry on bag, one purse, and a car seat bag (thankfully with shoulder straps)...it was...interesting to see. People kept looking at me and laughing.

Tonight we'll do dinner and then come back to the hotel to swim. I think that's all I can manage tonight! :D

Lacy Cakes

2011-07-11T07:55:00.002-05:00

One of the things I remember about my childhood is how much I loved helping my Daddy cook Saturday morning breakfast. I guess it was an unspoken agreement that he would cook breakfast most Saturdays, and my sisters and I loved to help him mix up the ingredients for whatever it was we were making. Some of the things I remember best are: cheese biscuits, pancakes, and (best of all) lacy cakes. There is something so fun about lacy cakes: the batter is really wet, and you have to stir it well in between each spoonful you spoon out. The sizzle the batter makes when it hits the hot skillet, and the way the milk/egg combo makes the batter wiggle out over the pan to make a ragged circle...I just love everything about it. Best of all: we ate as many as we wanted (or at least it seemed that way - I'm sure it's just that there were so many to be eaten).

I still love hearing my dad say, "Whoooo wants lacy cakes?" But now it's my boys that run to the kitchen to help. I just reap the benefits and eat as many as I can.

The tradition continues in my kitchen, too. Anthony, Benjamin and I made lacy cakes this morning and they each got to stir the batter, and watch as I spooned the lacy cakes onto the skillet. And Anthony said some of the same things I remember thinking - how fun it is to watch the lacy cake make its shape, and how the sizzle sounds "cool" when the batter hits the skillet.

Anthony ate four lacy cakes this morning, sprinkled with powdered sugar - plus a banana (Benjamin ate two plus a banana). He claims to be full. But I bet he'll eat another one or two later this morning. And I was paid the ultimate compliment: "These taste JUST like the ones Paw Paw makes, Mom!"

I can't wait to give him a copy of the recipe when he's older. I hope he'll have as much fun making them with his kids as I have. And I hope his kids will have as much fun making them with their daddy as I had with mine.

I'm sharing the recipe here. I don't know where he got the recipe from, or I would give credit to the cookbook (it's a good bet that he didn't search the internet for this recipe way back when!). My copy is on a card hand-written by my mom. She gave it to me at one of my wedding showers, and it's laminated in my "Must Keep" recipe binder.

Daddy's Famous Lacy Cakes
Yields: 2 1/2 dozen

2 eggs, well beaten
2 cups milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/3 cups yellow cornmeal
3/4 teaspoon salt

Combine eggs, milk, and oil, mixing well. Combine cornmeal and salt; stir into egg mixture. Stir well. Drop batter by 2 tablespoons full onto hot (medium to medium-high), lightly greased griddle. Stir mixture well each time. Turn cakes when tops bubble and edges look cooked.

Serve hot with butter and powdered sugar. Yummy!

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Things I have watched my dad do, and that I do as well:
-Pour a little vegetable oil into the skillet (griddle) and wipe the skillet with a paper towel to cover it completely with the oil. Save the paper towel and give the skillet a wipe with the oil again in between each round of lacy cakes.
-When the tops of the lacy cakes start to look dry, carefully move the spatula around the edges of the lacy cake to separate it from the skillet, then flip it.
-My dad uses a non-stick skillet; I have no non-stick skillets, so I use a cast iron one. Either works fine. I have had zero success when trying to make them on a metal pan that is not non-stick.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks, Daddy; for the recipe and the memories.

Zoo Visit

2011-07-06T21:30:00.003-05:00

Three years ago, on July 16 (2008), I took Anthony and Benjamin to the zoo. It amazes me that I was courageous enough to take a not-quite-month-old baby and his four year old brother to the zoo by myself. But we did it! I even managed to take some pictures...

Today I took the boys back to the zoo by myself...this time minus the stroller. Oh, and with TWO little boys who felt the need to tell me how hot it was outside. REALLY?? I TOLD YOU IT WOULD BE VERY, VERY HOT. But we did have a great time, and Benjamin was so excited to ride the train that it really made the sweating for two hours worth it.

I love how excited Anthony still gets over going to the zoo. He had so much fun reading his map and directing us (and letting Benjamin "help"). Benjamin only cared about the tigers and the train. So we had a lot of "When we go see train?" and "We go ride train NOW?" while we walked through the zoo. When we finally got to ride on the train, he was so excited but nervous, too. He kept his hand on my leg the entire time and made sure he was snuggled up right against me. Anthony, cool kid that he is, rode on the seat in front of us.

We are having a blast this summer!!

THREE

2011-06-21T06:54:00.007-05:00

Dear Benjamin,

Yesterday you turned three years old, and I still haven't figured out how that is possible. Weren't you a baby just three DAYS ago? Weren't you that roly poly little baby the doctor put in my arms just a minute ago?

And now you're sleeping in a big boy bed, sitting in a dining chair at the table, carrying your breakfast plate to the table in the den, riding a bike and swimming in the pool. It's insane how quickly you are growing up.

But, um...this potty thing? Yeah. I'm going to need you to figure that one out soon. I know you know what to do. You just see no reason to do it. Why should you, when you have a battalion of people at your beck and call, ready to change your diaper the minute it needs to be done?

This year has been an amazing one. And a tough one. As you have discovered more words and started stringing paragraphs together, you have also gotten more vocal. And by that I mean loud. Screeching if you don't get your way, screaming if someone dares touch the juice in the fridge before you, yelling when you think you've been slighted in any small way. But it's also been wonderful - you slip your little hand into mine, even for the walk from the bedroom to the kitchen. You smile every night as you drift off to sleep saying, "I love you, Mama." You play (mostly) well with Anthony, copying his every move. You run to the back door to see if Daddy's home from work yet, and when he finally comes you smile and jump up and down.

You love: your stuffed lion Leo, Thomas the Train, Mickey Mouse, singing, bubbles, swimming, balls, eating, napping, snuggling, riding your bike, and birthdays.

I will never forget: "I want you, Mama" when you want to be picked up, you singing to Anthony at bedtime, sticky kisses after you've eaten a lollipop, the sweet baby smell you still have when you first wake up, the way you say certain words (framera for camera, Fri Fri for Kri Kri, mel-lade for lemonade, and so many others).

You are awesome, and I'll never let you forget it.

Love, Mama

Branching Out

2011-06-03T21:28:00.003-05:00

I remember when Anthony was about three years old, he began to add more and more people (and animals!) to his list of prayers at night. If we had seen an aunt, uncle, or cousin that day, they were added to our list, and usually were left on there for quite some time. We offer a standard prayer for "all of our family and friends" at the end of our usual litany, so I guess he never felt bad when he would eventually drop off a particular person. He knew they were covered! Now we're back to our standard list that we started with years ago.

Benjamin and I pray the same prayers at night as I do with Anthony. But what I've noticed about Benjamin is that he hasn't been willing to branch out from the standard list. Even if I add someone, or (God forbid) forget someone, he lets me know that it's not OK and we have to start over. Prayers can sometimes last a long time in Benjamin's world.

Tonight he totally surprised me. Mark's cousin, his cousins wife, and their two (grown-up) daughters are visiting and Benjamin has fallen in love with Allison ("Aslison") and Simone ("Mone"). Tonight they were added to his list...but not only were they added to his list, they rated the top spot (usually save for Mama and Daddy!). I think he's going to go into shock when they leave on Sunday. Thankfully, we'll be seeing a lot more of them because "Aslison" will be teaching locally through Teach for America.

I'm OK with giving up top spot in the prayer list for these two - they have played with both boys and totally worn them out! :o)

Thirty-Three

2011-04-26T21:36:00.003-05:00

Anthony asked me on his seventh birthday, "Mama, does each birthday get better than the last?"

Today, I can officially say, "Yes. Yes, it does."

Is that not the BEST birthday card EVER?

The Amazing Adventures of Leo the Lion and his Little Boy, Ben

2011-04-23T15:13:00.016-05:00

A friend gave me the idea that I should make a photo album for Benjamin with pictures of him and Leo. Here are just a few of the pictures I have on my iPhone from the past year. I have a million more taken with our various other cameras. This will definitely be a project I take on this summer!

Today, my little boy, Ben, and I begged for some blueberries. How can you refuse these two cute faces? Ha! Ben's mom didn't. She totally gave us some. SCORE!

Today my little boy, Ben, and I went to the Mall of Louisiana to ride on the Flying Horses. I'm so glad Ben didn't chose to ride on that white tiger behind us!
Tonight, my little boy, Ben, and I cooked dinner. It was delicious!
This morning, my little boy, Ben, and I are snuggling on the sofa watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Sorry for sitting on your face, Mickey!
Tonight, my little boy, Ben, and I slept in a big-boy bed for the first time. I was a little scared, but Ben took care of me. I didn't even get lost in the sheets! He hugged me all night long. I slept really well.
Today, my little boy, Ben, and I went to the Baton Rouge Zoo. It was really neat to see all of the animals! We're really tired now, though, so we're going to take a nap.
Tonight, my little boy, Ben, and I were visiting with Maw Maw and Paw Paw. Ben and I thought it would be fun to climb through the grocery cart. We only got stuck once!
My little boy, Ben, sure is silly! He thinks these are his pajamas! He makes me laugh all the time.
You might not be able to see me, but my little boy, Ben, has me safely tucked away in the basket on the back of his bike. I love to go for rides, even if it is a little bumpy back here!
My little boy, Ben, and his big brother Nee-Nee got dressed up this morning. I think it's so cute how Ben dressed up like a lion so he could be like me!
My little boy, Ben, picked out his own clothes this morning! He loves red, but I think a nice tan is a good color.
After a full day of swimming, my little boy, Ben, and I weren't really tired, so Ben's mommy put on "Thomas the Train" for us to watch.
My little boy, Ben, decided he wanted to see how tall I am! I am TEN INCHES TALL! Wow!! I might have a little more to go to catch up with Ben, but I'm sure I'll get there!

Great News

2011-04-12T07:28:00.003-05:00

Anthony's transplant team called yesterday. Since he has been so stable for so long, we can move from getting his labs done every other month to getting them done every three months. This is a big step, and an exciting one!

This morning, though, Anthony comes to me and says, "Mom. I was getting labs six times a year and now I'm only going to be getting them four times a year, right?"

"Yes, Anthony. Isn't that GREAT?"

"Well....kinda."

"HUH?"

"Well, mom. That means that I get donuts TWO LESS TIMES a year before school!"

And, he's right! We only do donuts after his labs on our way to school. He is supposed to fast before his labs to make sure his glucose levels are normal, and that's pretty tough on him. This is the kid who is used to eating theverysecond he wakes up (around 6:30), and he has to wait until 7:45 to get his blood drawn (which means 8:00 before he eats). Grabbing a chocolate sprinkle donut on his way to school has always been his special treat for fasting and for being so good during the phlebotomy.

I'm pretty sure we can find a way to sneak in two extra donut mornings a year, though! But SHHHHH! Don't tell Anthony!

Let's Play Ball!

2011-04-10T17:25:00.002-05:00

Anthony is playing on a coaches' pitch baseball team with 11 other classmates at the YMCA this spring. He's having a great time, and I love that he's learning how to play on a team sport. I only wish we would have gotten him involved sooner.

He had a game yesterday and Grandpa took some great pictures!

Proud Mama

2011-04-05T07:29:00.002-05:00

Anthony's class facilitated the school-wide Mass at his school yesterday. Anthony's classmate who was to read the Responsorial Psalm was sick so Anthony's teacher chose Anthony to take her place! She told me that she chose him because he was the one she knew could pick up and read the words with no problem, and wouldn't get nervous for having to do it without a week of practice.

He did so well, and wasn't nervous at all. It was so sweet to see him up there reading and raising his arms to cue the congregation to respond. Proud Mama, indeed!

Swinging

2011-04-04T02:25:00.002-05:00

Church Fair

2011-03-25T22:14:00.003-05:00

Our Church fair is this weekend and we took the boys tonight because a lot of Anthony's classmates were going to be there. He got to ride a lot of rides with one of his best friends, Kaden, and was pretty sad when we left around 9:00. Benjamin had a great time riding a few rides with Grandpa, and Maw Maw, Paw Paw, and Nana all got to watch (fun for them, I'm sure). I don't have many pictures of Anthony on the rides because they all have his friend in the picture, too, and I don't have the mom's permission to post pictures of her son...so just trust me that Anthony had the time of his life, and that I have an AWESOME picture of Anthony and his friend on the Sizzler (Twister?) with their hair flying around them.

Feed ME!

Can I go ride the rides now?

Flying horsies, Mama!!

With Maw Maw and Paw Paw

And then with Teeta and Nannie (Granpa and Nana)

Anthony got a flashing magnetic light, and it kept falling off of his shirt, so he asked me to hold it. So I was holding it on my ear!

Snack time!

And because this is just hilarious to me...I had to post it!

On Mothering

2011-03-23T07:37:00.006-05:00

Confession 1: It's NOT EASY being a mom. It's even harder to be a GOOD mom.
Confession 2: I'm not always a good mom. Sometimes I just want to scream (and sometimes I do).
Confession 3: I'm a better mom than I was a year ago, two years ago, three years ago. Maybe there's something to this "You get better with practice" thing!

I've found that it's really hard to budget my time appropriately while I'm in school. I want to do everything with the boys, but I can't. I have to divide that time with studying, school, traveling. I know it's worth it; I know that I budget my time so that they don't realize they're missing out (see: awesome dad to my boys and two awesome sets of grandparents), but I feel it and sometimes I'm resentful of myself. Does that even make sense?

Oh, but I love school. I love that it's nearly impossible to understand sometimes and yet I'm still getting along and doing well. I love that I am doing something I want to do for ME (even though we all know I'm doing it for my family, too). I love that I had the courage to do this, although I feel like my courage is failing me some days.

But when I get home, tired after being mind-blown by Biostatistics and Epidemiology, I'm not always a good mom. The boys want my immediate attention, they want me to playplayplay, and all I want is cook dinner and go to bed. Most days I'm able to put that behind me and playplayplay. And when I'm outside, pushing them on the swing for the millionth time, I'm have a great time. I'm learning more about Anthony and his days at school, and I'm getting to give Benjamin the hands-on love he so desperately needs.

And this is what I've learned about my boys:
Anthony needs hugs and kisses, but what he really needs is for me to listen to him. If he wants to talk Star Wars non-stop, the best thing I can do is just listen (and goodness that is HARD). If he wants to talk about school, I just listen. If he wants to air all his complaints about Benjamin, I just listen. He is so sensitive; he still cries easily and gets his feelings hurt quickly. He is brilliant and a little awkward, but is a loyal friend. He wants to please everyone. He has such a hard time paying attention. I've noticed this especially when he is doing something that doesn't come naturally to him. He started baseball practice yesterday, and he did his typical: pretend to be paying attention but is really not. And then when asked to do what he was just told, he has no idea how to do it. It frustrates me to the nth degree, because I know when he IS paying attention, he can do almost anything. This requires a level of patience that I do not possess. This is when I get most frustrated with Anthony, and find myself saying to him, "What did I just say to you?" to see if he's paying attention (and he's usually not). (Please: I have spoken to the pediatrician about this; he does not feel that this is attention deficit disorder, just Anthony being a seven-year-old boy.)

Benjamin needs to be constantly touched. His favorite thing to say is, "I want you, Mama." He runs up for hugs and kisses a million times a day. He needs to be able to see me if he's in the house. He needs me to lay with him at nap time and bed time - and always begs for more. He needs me to hold him if I'm sitting down somewhere. He is so emotionally invested in everything he does that if someone tells him no, it's an immediate breakdown. He wants what he wants, and you should never tell him no. If he's not first, only, immediate - it's ugly. He is a challenge at every turn. I've found that letting him have his fit somewhere where he can't hurt himself or anyone else works best. After a few minutes, I can walk up to him and say, "When you're done, let me know. We'll be able to play then." And he'll usually button it up and be done immediately. It's almost like he needs to get his 3 minutes of crying in and then be told to stop. But I've got to tell you: those 3 minutes are very hard for me. I'd rather not have to hear it!

But at the end of the day, being the mother to these two boys is amazing and rewarding. It's tough, and I'm not always good at it...but they always make any effort I put into this mothering gig worth it.

I don't remember many times in my childhood that I was upset about things. I know that I was often told no, and I'm sure I often felt slighted at the time. But I don't have memories of my childhood being a constant "no"; I'm hoping that my boys won't remember the times I lost my cool, and instead will remember the times that I excelled at being their mom. Because I love being their mom.

Trying to Keep Up - And Failing Miserably

2011-03-16T09:43:00.004-05:00

On the way from the bus stop to day care this morning, this is what came out of Benjamin's mouth:

Wheee! Follow Nee-Nee's bus, Mama! Go down the hill, Mama! Down, down, down.
Dere's Nee-Nee's bus, Mama! Go, Mama! Go Go Go!!
Why you gotta stop, Mama? Don't stop! Follow Nee-Nee's bus, Mama!
Nee-Nee is Anniken and I's LUKE, Mama. You like Star Wars, Mama?
Look, Mama! Trees! MY trees! LEAVES! The trees have LEAVES!!
A gate! The gate is OPEN! Why it not closed, Mama?
Ooooh! My castle! Dere's my CASTLE, Mama! Do you like my castle?
Wait! Nee-Nee's bus! Follow Nee-Nee's bus, Mama!
Plane! A plane! I see a plane! Do you see the plane, Mama?
What 'dis song, Mama? Turn it up? What dis song, Mama? SING IT, MAMA!
(By the way, the song is "Champagne Supernova" by Oasis and the first set of lyrics we hear are, "Where were you while we were getting high?" - AWESOME)
Is it bike day, Mama? You gots my bike, Mama?
Go up the hill, Mama! UP UP UP!!!
I ride my bike in the gym, Mama! FAST! I ride my bike FAST!
Leo (the stuffed lion) ride in my basket, Mama? I let Leo ride in my basket. He like to go FAST, Mama!
Get my bike out the trunk, Mama! I ride my bike into school!
Up the ramp! UP UP UP UP UP! Wheee!
Open the door, Mama! Here I go!!
It's time for breakfast! I go eat!
BYE, MAMA! GIVE ME KISS, MAMA! BYE, MAMA!!!!

Seven Years Post-Transplant!

2011-03-09T20:20:00.002-06:00

Today is Anthony's transplant anniversary. We celebrated by attending Ash Wednesday Mass at our Church (hence the black smudge on my forehead in the pictures below), had lunch at DeAngelo's Pizzeria, and had grilled shrimp fajitas for dinner with Maw Maw, Paw Paw, Mimi, Uncle Mike, Nana and Grandpa. I think we'll all sleep soundly tonight!

I Love These Faces

2011-03-07T12:01:00.000-06:00

Things to Remember

2011-01-19T20:07:00.002-06:00

Benjamin this evening enjoying a piece of "Ping Cake" (King Cake). "Dis GOOOOOD, Mama!"

Anthony fighting "Dark" Vader with his light "saver". He loves Star Wars, but hasn't got the first clue how to pronounce most of the words.

Benjamin singing his ABCs "ABCDEFG HIJK L MnM OP 2RX TUB WX YZ, now you, now you sing wiff ME!"

Anthony, suffering with a cold, is tired of me feeling his forehead to see if he has a fever. "I feel fine, so you can stop already!"

Benjamin, wanting to be picked up, says in his most pitiful voice, "I want you, Mommy."

Anthony, begging to hear a silly story about Benjamin. Because when you're laying in bed with Benjamin at night, you're bound to hear something silly.

Time Flies...

2011-01-14T08:39:00.003-06:00

Seven years ago we met with a GI from Children's Hospital in New Orleans. His eyes got big when he saw Anthony for the first time. I think that's the first moment I realized just how truly sick Anthony was. A few days later, we were in Omaha - snowy, cold, terrible Omaha. Of course, today I think Omaha is wonderful. I think Omaha is one of the BEST places on earth! But on the day we landed in Omaha (evening really, I think it was 7:00pm), I hated it. I couldn't believe that I was in this cold, snowy place.

Seven years ago we started on the journey towards getting Anthony healthy. And today...good Lord, is he healthy! He's so active that it's hard to keep up with him. He loves school, takes guitar lessons, picks on his brother (and loves him to death), plays his DSi, swims like a fish, and a million other things.

Ash Wednesday is March 9th. That will be Anthony's seven-year transplant anniversary. I think we'll be celebrating all the previous weekend, for sure!

Big Boy Bed

2011-01-06T06:29:00.002-06:00

Look who's all grown up!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-26T07:58:00.002-06:00

Two of My Favorite Things

2010-12-22T07:38:00.005-06:00

This boy.

And this one, too.

Santa! and the St. George Fire Department

2010-12-18T12:11:00.002-06:00

Every year, the St. George Fire Department drives through the neighborhoods they protect and brings Santa on one of their trucks. This year, TWO trucks came through and we were outside waiting.

The first truck came slowly down the street with its sirens blaring. As soon as he saw the boys, the driver honked the horn and Ben was instantly in my arms. I think he must have jumped 12 feet in the air! That didn't stop him from waving and yelling "HI!", though!

Santa was on the second truck and he threw some candy to the boys. I can't imagine a better thing for Benjamin: Santa AND fire trucks. His idea of heaven might have been complete today. :)

After Santa's truck came the Baton Rouge Food Bank's truck. They collect non-perishable food items and new toys for the less fortunate. They also threw the boys some candy.

After it was all over and we were back in the house having lunch, Anthony said, "I don't think that was the real Santa." So we talked about how the real Santa is really busy right now, and so he sometimes asks other men to dress up like him to help him out. How many more years will Anthony believe, I wonder?

SEVEN

2010-11-20T05:23:00.003-06:00

Dear Anthony,

Today you turn seven-years old, and I haven't quite figured out how that has happened. When did you turn six? Or five, for that matter? I'm sure we've skipped a few years in between 2003 and 2010.

It just seems impossible to me that seven years ago my life changed. And now we have YOU. This amazingly smart, energetic boy who I can't imagine my life without.

Seven years ago, I never would have been able to guess what was going to come next. I never could have imagined what you were going to have to face as a baby. I never thought that you would be sick. I was healthy, Daddy was healthy - YOU would be healthy by default!

Well, default eventually happened, didn't it? Who would look at you now and think that you had ever been so sick? Who would look at you now and guess that there's a scar on your stomach that tells such an amazing story of your first few months of life?

This past year has been full of so many changes in your life. You moved on to first grade and have blown me away with how smart you are. You love school, you love learning, and you love science most of all (You finally have some of ME in you!).

You aren't afraid of new things, although you DID tell me that perhaps you'll like salad starting when you're EIGHT because SEVEN still seems like salad isn't such a good idea.

I hope you won't kill me later for mentioning this, but I love that you still want to go to sleep every night covered in your (Dad's old) baby blanket with your stuffed monkey, George, hugged in your arms. You are slowly pulling away from some of that stuff; George doesn't go EVERYWHERE with you like he did last year. But you still like to have him at bed time, and I love it.

I think Benjamin is so lucky to have you as his big brother. You have been amazingly patient with his hitting, pushing, biting and general terrorizing. You get that he's younger and is still learning what's right and wrong. It amazes me how you just let him roll all over you and think it's funny. And when Ben wakes up in the morning, you want to be first into his room. When he cries, you're right there trying to help calm him down.

I'm really enjoying watching your relationship with Daddy grow, too. You started Tiger Cubs (Boy Scouts) this year and the two of you have gotten to do all kinds of cool things without me and Benjamin. I'm glad for the time you spend with just Daddy because he is an amazing father and you will learn so much from him.

I'm also really glad that you still think I'm pretty cool. If I make silly faces in front of your friends, you still think I'm funny and laugh at me. I'm still allowed to sing you to sleep every night, and we still get to snuggle and cuddle on the sofa while watching TV. I'm already dreading the day when I won't be so smart, so funny, so cool. I hope it never comes.

When we measured your height the other night, you were so excited to see that you've grown 3/4" since June. You are now 49 1/4" tall (that's 4', 1-1/4") and I can see that you're going to outstrip us all in the height department. You are so long and lean; watching you walk is sometimes funny because your legs are so skinny, and your feet seem so big...you trip just walking (again, you're just like ME in some ways!).

You aren't into sports so much. You're more content to read a book or play your DSi than you are to run around. But if we turn you loose outside, you'll run and chase Benjamin, play on the swing set, swim in the pool...we just have to remind you that you NEED to be outside burning off some energy. Guitar lessons have become what you want most, and the two lessons you've had already leave you talking about the guitar for days.

You are such an interesting and fun kid to know, Anthony. Getting to be your Mama is one of the best parts of my life. I have loved seeing more of your personality emerge this past year. I can't wait to watch you grow into a young man...just don't do it too fast, OK?

Love, Mama

Birthday #7: Round One

2010-11-14T14:05:00.002-06:00

Anthony had his birthday party today with his friends from school! We chose to have it at Don Carter's Bowling Alley, and Anthony had the. best. time.

Gingerbread Pancakes

2010-10-30T08:48:00.005-05:00

Mark and I found this recipe a long time ago - and we finally tried it out this morning. These pancakes are seriously one of the best things I have eaten in a long time. So. Good.

Naturally, I made some adjustments to the recipe. I'll post my version here, and link to the original at the end.

Gingerbread Pancakes
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon*
1 teaspoon ground ginger*
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup brewed coffee, room temperature or cold
1/8 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
2 large eggs

*I did not measure these out; I tasted the batter and added more as needed. This is how much I think was in there at the end!

Whisk together all dry ingredients in one bowl. In another bowl, mix together all wet ingredients, making sure that the coffee and butter have cooled or they will cook the eggs.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk until combined and smooth.

Cook on a non-stick griddle or on a griddle brushed lightly with cooking oil.

Pay no attention to the half-eaten pancake on top. A cook's gotta taste her work before feeding it to the masses!

Serve HOT with pure maple syrup to eager children and husband (husband not pictured).

(Recipe adapted from A Cozy Kitchen.)

Things to Remember

2010-10-26T08:44:00.002-05:00

On our way to school this morning, Benjamin and I were talking about his friends at school. I asked him if Miley is his best friend and he said,

"NO! Nee Nee Ben's best friend!"
(Anthony is Ben's best friend)

Camping

2010-10-22T18:28:00.002-05:00

Mark and Anthony left today to go camping with the Istrouma Council with the Boy Scouts of America. The camp is at Avondale in Clinton, LA.

Anthony was practically quivering with excitement when they left - and was pretty impatient that they had to return home 20 minutes later because they forgot a few things.

I think Mark was looking forward to this just as much as Anthony was! He talks a lot about when he was in Boy Scouts and I know he's going to love carrying on this tradition with Anthony (and maybe Benjamin).

I have no desire to go camping. Ever. I'm sure at some point, with two boys, I'll get roped into it. But the idea of no shower for two days, questionable toilet facilities and the possibility of not brushing my teeth? No. Thank. You.

So instead, Benjamin and I will spend the weekend together, eagerly anticipating Daddy and Brother's return on Sunday morning.

I hope there will be tons of pictures to share!

Mimi Gets Married!

2010-10-09T08:23:00.002-05:00

My sister, Emilie, got married last night in a beautiful ceremony. I'll post more pictures later, but here are two of my favorites!

The Married Couple!

My dad's family showed up in force and we had a blast!

Tiger Cub

2010-09-19T12:38:00.000-05:00

Is this not the cutest thing EVER???

Rewarding

2010-09-11T15:53:00.003-05:00

Mark and I have learned that punishments rarely work with Anthony, but rewarding good behavior almost always works instead. I think we've cracked a secret to parenting here! No? What do you mean you knew that already? Well, I'm shocked! I thought we were forging new territory here.

Anyway, Anthony's rewards at the end of the week for an A in conduct (Dear Lord, when did my child get old enough to get GRADES instead of just "Satisfactory Work" remarks?) are usually small and inexpensive if money is involved at all. It's usually something fun and out-of-the-ordinary that he gets to do with one or both of us. This week's reward (and I'm glad to say he worked hard to earn it!) was to make Cookies and Cream Ice Cream with his Daddy. They had fun measuring out the ingredients, and Anthony even got to pour and stir at the stove while making the custard.

The end result is delicious, and Anthony LOVED licking the ice cream beater.

Excuses, Excuses...

2010-09-08T21:17:00.003-05:00

So I started grad school on August 18. And my life as I know it ended. The end. This is why I'm not writing so much here now. Although I love to blog - time is just not on my side these days.

For what it's worth, I'm going to post our weekly schedule here - if only to remind myself later why I'm completely off my rocker and drooling in a corner. I spend at least 10 hours each week in my car commuting, and 15 hours each week in class. Add in another 20 hours for studying (if I'm lucky), and you'll see why I say, "drooling in a corner".

Monday
5:25 alarm sounds
5:45 up and at 'em
6:15 wake up Anthony (if he's not awake)
6:30 wake up Benjamin (if he's not awake)
6:40 Mark and Anthony out the door
6:55 Laurie and Benjamin out the door
7:00 Benjamin - to day care
7:10 Laurie - on the interstate to New Orleans
9:00 Laurie - Principles of Epidemiology
10:30 Laurie - Principles of Environmental Health
12:00 Laurie - gym/studying
3:40 Anthony - off the bus, picked up by Nana
3:50 Benjamin - picked up at day care by Nana
4:30 Mark - off work; head's to Nana's
5:00 Laurie - Biostatistics
6:30 Laurie - leaves New Orleans
7:30 Laurie - home
7:50 Benjamin - to bed
8:30 Anthony - to bed

Tuesday
6:15 up and at 'em
6:30 wake up Anthony (if he's not awake)
6:40 breakfast for Anthony; Mark - leaves for work
7:00 wake up Benjamin (if he's not awake)
7:50 Anthony - on the bus
8:00 Benjamin - at day care
8:15 Laurie - on interstate to New Orleans
10:30 Laurie - Principles of Behavioral Health
12:00 Laurie - gym/studying
1:30 Laurie - leaves New Orleans
2:30 Laurie - home to study
3:40 Anthony - off the bus, picked up by Laurie
3:50 Benjamin - picked up at day care by Laurie
4:30 Mark - off work
7:50 Benjamin - to bed
8:30 Anthony - to bed

Wednesday
5:25 alarm sounds
5:45 up and at 'em
6:15 wake up Anthony (if he's not awake)
6:30 wake up Benjamin (if he's not awake)
6:40 Mark and Anthony out the door
6:55 Laurie and Benjamin out the door
7:00 Benjamin - to day care
7:10 Laurie - on the interstate to New Orleans
9:00 Laurie - Principles of Epidemiology
10:30 Laurie - Principles of Environmental Health
12:00 Laurie - Epidemiology Seminar
1:00 Laurie - gym/studying
3:40 Anthony - off the bus, picked up by Nana
3:50 Benjamin - picked up at day care by Nana
4:30 Mark off work; head's to Nana's
5:00 Laurie - Biostatistics
6:30 Laurie - leaves New Orleans
7:30 Laurie - home
7:50 Benjamin - to bed
8:30 Anthony - to bed

Thursday
6:15 up and at 'em
6:30 wake up Anthony (if he's not awake)
6:40 breakfast for Anthony; Mark - leaves for work
7:00 wake up Benjamin (if he's not awake)
7:50 Anthony - on the bus
8:00 Benjamin - at day care
8:15 Laurie on interstate to New Orleans
10:30 Laurie - Principles of Behavioral Health
12:00 Laurie - gym/studying
1:30 Laurie - leaves New Orleans
2:30 Laurie - home to study
3:40 Anthony - off the bus, picked up by Laurie
3:50 Benjamin - picked up at day care by Laurie
4:30 Mark - off work
7:50 Benjamin - to bed
8:30 Anthony - to bed

Friday
5:25 alarm sounds
5:45 up and at 'em
6:15 wake up Anthony (if he's not awake)
6:30 wake up Benjamin (if he's not awake)
6:40 Mark and Anthony out the door
6:55 Laurie and Benjamin out the door
7:00 Benjamin - to day care
7:10 Laurie - on the interstate to New Orleans
9:00 Laurie - Principles of Epidemiology Lab
10:30 Laurie - Biostatistics Lab
11:00 Mark - off work
11:30 Benjamin - picked up at day care by Mark
12:30 Laurie - leaves New Orleans
1:30 Laurie - home
3:40 Anthony - off the bus, picked up by Laurie
8:00 Benjamin - to bed
9:00 Anthony - to bed

First Day of School!

2010-08-12T09:59:00.004-05:00

Anthony's first day of First Grade was yesterday. According to him, the day was "GREAT"! They had double recess, French, made bumblebee cupcakes, had butterfly candy, and did some science work. AND, he had no homework, "But you do, Mama! LOTS of it!" And so indeed did I have lots of homework. So many forms to fill out! So many volunteers needed! I hope, between driving to New Orleans every day for school, that I'll be able to do SOME volunteering!

Benjamin's first day back at day care is today. His drop off this morning didn't go very well, but that was to be expected. His beloved stuffed lion, Leo, got to go to school, and breakfast was already being served when he got there (he loves getting there just as breakfast is being laid out).

I cannot believe how much Anthony has grown in the last year. When he started Kindergarten, he was wearing a size 11 shoe (Toddler shoe sizes go through 13). Now he's wearing a Child's 2-1/2! He has grown over two inches since last September! His legs are so long and skinny, but he's seriously strong. I can't believe it's time for First Grade already. Where did my baby go?

Benjamin has grown a lot, too. He keeps outgrowing shoes the minute I buy them. And he's wearing size 3 shirts (still in 24 month shorts - the kid has no butt)! He told his Kri Kri last night, "I lub you!" It was seriously one of the sweetest things ever. I'm glad he's still "little", though. I'm not ready for BOTH of my babies to be big kids!

Things to Remember

2010-08-07T20:40:00.005-05:00

1. Anthony: "Mom, I'm sure glad you got to spend this summer with me and Ben. This was awesome."

2. Benjamin: making sure both of my arms are wrapped around him when we rock at nap time and bed time. I check, just to make sure he's paying attention, but he always puts my arms back where they belong if I move them.

3. Anthony: At dinner tonight at Casa Maria cleaning his plate and then eating what's left of Benjamin's (about half of all: hard taco, rice, beans) and then asking what's next. We think he might be going through a growth phase.

4. Benjamin: "Fwimming" in the "pooooo" with his floaties. "Look-a me, Mommmmmeeee!"

5. Anthony: "I used to like dinosaurs, but now I like Phineas and Ferb. But I'm still a dinosaur expert. I'll always be a dinosaur expert. And I think I still like dinosaurs."

6. Benjamin: "Come pway twains!" and so we do. Trains, over and over again.

7. Anthony: at the beach this past weekend, we went to The Track. Anthony, Grandpa and I got in the bumper boats and soaked each other. Anthony thought that was just the coolest thing ever: getting to shoot Mom and Grandpa with a water gun.

8. Benjamin: at the beach, at The Track. Anthony and I rode in one go cart, Mark and Benjamin in another. At one point, Benjamin reached over and took Mark's hand and held on for dear life through the rest of the ride.

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And now for some pictures from our trip to Orange Beach, AL:

Sign the Petition to Restore the Gulf

2010-07-22T16:12:00.000-05:00

Sign the Petition to Restore the Gulf

Showering

2010-07-21T07:22:00.004-05:00

My younger sister, Emilie (Mimi to the boys), is getting married later this year. She has chosen to keep the wedding small, and I have been privileged to get to be a part of a lot of the planning (mostly by default of being one of two bridesmaids that lives in town, but I'm not complaining!).

This past Sunday our Aunt Darlene hostessed a bridal shower for Emilie. Aunt Darlene's home is simply beautiful and is perfect for holding parties. Plus, she knows how to put on a party! :) The food was delicious - spinach dip, crab dip, crawfish pasta, roasted pork for sandwiches, and pretty little petit fours.

We had a great time, and Emilie got some wonderful gifts!

Me with Emilie and our mom

Emilie with Aunt Darlene

Aunt Darlene, Emilie, me, Mom

Fourth of July

2010-07-05T08:12:00.002-05:00

Our Fourth of July was spent mostly in the pool! For many of you who haven't seen our "new" (we moved in a year ago) house, you can see almost all of the backyard in these pictures. Yes, we even have a hill (good for rolling down, staging dinosaur battles, spying on the neighbors (a la Joe Abadie style), and running up and down). We had a blast yesterday in the pool. Anthony, Mark, and Uncle Matt did cannon balls to make waves and splash us, Benjamin rode Cecil the Sea Serpent (as did Laurie - just not as successfully as Benjamin), Mimi tried to hide from the splashers and gave it up for a bad job, Tucker the Dog splashed on the top step, Grandpa manfully sat while Benjamin dumped water over his head a million times, and Nana took videos of all the shenanigans. We were ALL exhausted!

We rounded out the day with a mini-fireworks display compliments of Mark and Anthony. Benjamin was not too excited about the noise from the fireworks, but he did enjoy the lights (with his head half buried in Teeta's shoulder).

Anthony loves it when Mark throws him. Mark gives him a good push, and Anthony jumps at the same time. The kid gets some air when they time it right!

And then Uncle Matt decided to throw Anthony into the pool from the side. Anthony declared this was fun, too. I'm thinking Uncle Matt might be sore today. :)

Uncle Matt seeing if he can get Mimi and Laurie with a good splash (and he did - multiple times!)

Crazy Week

2010-06-23T20:44:00.003-05:00

It seems like I sometimes forget that I want to blog here about what goes on in our lives so that one day the boys can come back and read what they were up to.

This week has been a little crazy, Benjamin-wise.

On Monday, I took him to the pediatrician for his two-year check-up. Poor dude had to get two immunization booster shots! He was, um...greatly displeased. I swear that this kid can communicate his displeasure with his eyes alone. And his eyes told me that I am a cruel, cruel woman. Seriously, dude...this is good for you in the long run!

Unfortunately, his pediatrician heard what he thought was a heart murmur. He said that he thought that it was most likely a functional (or innocent) heart murmur and that it likely wouldn't cause problems. But, it could be something more sinister and so he felt that we ought to have Ben seen by a pediatric cardiologist.

Annnnnnd....my heart stopped. But then my logical side kicked in (read: I called the Voice of Reason, My Father) and I realized that this could just be a little blip on the radar or it could be a Big Deal, but either way there was nothing I could do about it until we saw the cardiologist. I called, scheduled an appointment for Tuesday morning and tried to put it out of my mind (haha).

Monday afternoon Mark, Anthony, Mimi and I went to see Toy Story 3, leaving Benjamin behind at his Nana and TeeTA's house. After the movie, I took Mimi home and the boys went to collect Benjamin. My cell phone rang just as I was leaving Mimi's house and I hear Mark's voice say, "Ben's OK, but he jumped off the hearth at Mom and Dad's, and now he doesn't want to do anything but be held."

Two things: ONE: Ben is NOT a snuggler. He'd rather be running around, occasionally stopping by for a quick hug. TWO: that jump was only 10 inches MAX. But after the jump, he wouldn't bear weight on his legs without crying or grabbing the back of his neck.

I called the nurse on call at our pediatrician's office and they advised me to dial 911 and ask for medical transport to the hospital. He needed x-rays to see if any spinal damage had occurred, and he needed to be in a neck brace on a spinal board, she said. YIKES!

EMS arrives, he is strapped down (more of the screaming and the "mean eyes") and brought to the hospital where I work. Three hours in the ER and some x-rays prove that he has not broken anything or damaged his spine. The ER doctor said that he probably had some nice deep tissue bruising and would be sore for a few days. Some Motrin for pain was administered and we were sent home.

Five hours of sleep later, we're at the cardiologist's office. An EKG showed a "slightly abnormal" rhythm to his heart. Across the hall for an ultrasound of his heart, and the cardiologist tells me that Benjamin has a slightly abnormal shape to his heart and that the way the blood flows from one chamber of the heart to the next is different than a normal heart, and this is the sound the pediatrician heard. There is NOTHING WRONG with how his heart works, it's just a little different. (I'm paraphrasing here, and may have gotten some of the facts a little wrong - I heard "nothing is wrong" and half-listened after that!). I do remember this, though, "No medicines for him to take, nothing wrong with his heart, I do not want to see you again!". FINE BY ME.

Tomorrow the boys leave for Houston with Nana and TeeTA to see Uncle Marshall (aka: Parrain). I'm hoping, for the grandparents' sake, that his trip will be uneventful and filled with nothing but FUN.

Benjamin Paul Turns Two!

2010-06-20T21:50:00.003-05:00

Dear Benjamin,

(or Ben Ben, BP, Lil B, Biscuits, Ben)...

Today you are two. Last week, when I asked you how old you were going to be, you would say, "TWO" and show me five fingers. Today, you're able to show me only two fingers. That's how quickly you learn. If something just doesn't work or doesn't seem right, you're going to figure it out. You might scream a little on your way, but you're going to get it.

You have grown so much this year! You have learned so many new things, and you are constantly amazing us with your awareness.

One of your favorite pastimes is eating. If I can't find you in your room playing with your toys, it's a safe bet that I'll find you at the pantry saying, "Nack?" Your favorite "Nack" is ice cream. If someone has a bowl of it they're eating, it's not safe around you. But since you'll eat almost anything (except pickles, corn and potatoes it seems), we don't worry about the occasional scoop or twelve of ice cream.

You're pretty fearless of food and like to try different things. I don't know why I'm surprised when you eat a new type of fresh fruit. You have eaten almost every piece of fresh fruit I've given you (you didn't like the guava very much). In Disney World, we would get bowls and bowls of grapes for you to eat. I think that's how you stayed hydrated while we were there!

My favorite thing about you right now is the funny way you say things. Sometimes the things you say sound VERY inappropriate. But sometimes the things you say just sound so cute coming from you. You don't say, "NO" often. But when you do it sounds very Southern and drawl-y, "Naaawwww". I love how you call Grandpa, "Tee TA" and Kristen, "Ki Ki". My favorite thing to hear you say is, "Nee Nee, fpway? (Anthony, play?)"

If I'm going to mention your little "quirks", though, I can't help but mention the screaming. Oh, God, do you SCREAM, Ben. If someone (Anthony) looks at you wrong, or touches something you were even THINKING about touching you scream, "MINE!". It's awful and it's something we've got to try to keep you from doing. You scream if we don't feed you fast enough. You scream if we don't pick you up fast enough. You scream if you feel the least bit slighted. You scream if you're excited. You scream just to hear yourself scream. I feel like I might go deaf!

I adore they way you (mostly) idolize Anthony ("Nee Nee"). You look up to him all the time and want to do just what he's doing. If he's sitting in the chair with the red seat, then you find the other chair with the red seat. If he's laying on the floor, you're right there with him. And you always want to make sure he's got a stuffed animal to snuggle with when y'all are watching TV. You'll even go to his room to get George for him.

Your two favorite "babies" are Leo and Rassie. Leo, of course, is a lion. Rassie is a giraffe. You won't be found without Leo most days, and Rassie is usually not far behind. Those are the two you ask for at nap time and bed time first. And speaking of sleeping, you're a champion at it! 10 hours at night and three hours in the afternoon are normal for you. Keep that up, babe...you need your rest since you're 100% active when you're awake!

I could never have believed that I could love another child as much as I love Anthony. Since you've come into our lives, I'm glad to say that I can. I absolutely can. I love you differently - you're literally my baby, and you will be my last child. You don't love to snuggle, but you're glad to sit on my lap and remind me that both arms need to be securely around you. My heart expanded when you were born, and you've firmly claimed your part of it.

You get excited about seeing your grandparents and go through their names like a litany each morning, hoping that I'm going to say, "Yes. We'll see Nana and Tee TA today." or, "Maw Maw and Paw Paw will be coming over for dinner." If I say no to all of that, you'll poke out your lower lip and think for a minute. Then you'll start all over and see if maybe, just maybe, I made a mistake.

If you're not eating, you're asking to be outside. With the bubbles. And the swing. Or the pool. You love to take wagon and stroller rides. You wave at every person we pass and say, "HI!" You blow kisses to squirrels and birds and follow ants on their journeys down the sidewalk. You love to help water my flowers and check out Daddy's blackberry bush.

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When we go to the grocery store, you love to ride in the "BUGGY!" and we always need to find one with a buckle. You love to buckle things. Your high chair belt, your car seat belt, the belts in the buggies...and if we don't let you, well...it's more of the screaming and the "MINE!" or "Ben-Ben BUCKLE!" You also have very definite ideas on who should be pushing you around in the buggy. And sometimes you change your mind 100 times in a single shopping trip. "Daddy POOSH!" "Mommy POOSH!" You even said, "Ben Ben POOSH" the other day and started pretending like you were pushing the buggy while riding.

You love going upupupupupupup! and downdowndowndowndown...and every bump, hill, or bridge we meet along the way is met with exclamation. "Bump bump! Wheee!" "Oooh, Mommy! Go UPUPUPUPUUUUUUUUP!" "And downdowndowndowndown!" "Mommy, up? UP, MOMMY!"

You have your aunts and uncles wrapped around your little finger, too! Ki Ki gets your honey pot and you laugh your beautiful belly laugh when she pinches your tummy. Mi Mi plays "Monkey Baby" with you and you pretend not to share. You constantly ask "Wha's Marshall? Wha's Matt?" and you've started to ask for Uncle Matt's dog, Tucker, by name. In Disney World, you lit up like the sun when your uncles showed up. And we can't forget "Umpa Mite" (Mi Mi's fiance)! In comes Mi Mi and the first thing you ask her is, "Wha's Umpa Mite?"

Your birthday party yesterday was so much fun! You loved opening the presents and eating the cake and ice cream (mostly the ice cream). You played in the pool and got to have ALL of your grandparents in the house at the same time. Then this morning it was birthday cake for breakfast and a Father's Day celebration with Daddy, Maw Maw, Paw Paw, Ki Ki, Mi Mi and Umpa Mite. What a great weekend this was!

You are an amazing little kid, Ben Ben. You are smart and funny, sweet and coy. You can drive us crazy and then make us laugh the next second. Please don't change too much as you grow up. You can lose the screaming, but not much else. Your personality is so great, and I can't wait to see what TWO has in store!

Love, Mama

Epcot, MGM*, and Animal Kingdom

2010-06-18T08:37:00.004-05:00

Our last three days at Disney World were awesome! The whole family was there, and we all got to do everything we wanted to do.

Epcot was Thursday:

We had dinner at the Biergarten in Germany

L to R: Mark, Ben, Laurie, Matt, Anthony, Margaret, Mike, Marshall

Friday was Hollywood Studios (MGM)

Annie and Leo from the "Little Einsteins" Disney TV show

Benjamin really enjoyed the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse show!

On a Star Wars flying motorcycle thingy...

That night we saw "Fantasmic" at MGM, and it was AWESOME.

And then back to Animal Kingdom on Saturday (our last day)

With Parrain and Miko

Chillin' at lunch with Nana

Matt and Marshall braved the Medieval ride with me and Anthony

And Anthony and his Parrain got tattoos!

We had dinner at a luau that night at the Polynesian resort. Anthony learned how to hula dance (like a wet noodle, really)

It was an awesome trip, and we can't wait to go back (Anthony says, "For Ben's kindergarten graduation and MY fourth grade graduation!"

Disney World - Magic Kingdom

2010-06-11T08:30:00.003-05:00

We did Magic Kingdom over the span of three days, and it worked out nicely (although I think we all agreed that we could do with not going back there right away!).

It was overcast the first day, but no less HOT!

Nana and Grandpa got to be driven around the race track by Anthony and Benjamin (thankfully, Grandpa had control of the gas pedal!)

Teacups!

Dumbo!

Flying Horses!

I laughed when Anthony tried to pull the sword out of the stone; there is a timed mechanism that allows the sword to be pulled up slightly, and I thought Anthony was going to fall over with excitement because he thought he was strong enough to pull the sword out.

Benjamin rode the train with Nana and Grandpa while Mark, Anthony and I rode Splash Mountain

Sweetums! I got to see Sweetums at the afternoon parade!

We stayed up late that night, too, to see the light parade and fireworks. I love Cinderella's Castle all lit up at night.

Mickey Mouse!!

We rode Splash Mountain yet again on Day Two

Aladdin's Magic Carpets

It's a Small World (the best ride because it's nice and cool; the most annoying ride because then you have THAT SONG stuck in your head All. Day. Long.)

Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse

Day Three of Magic Kingdom started off with breakfast at Chef Mickey's. And Parrain had arrived!

A little birdie (Nana) told them that we were celebrating Anthony's Kindergarten graduation!

Minnie!

Splash Mountain for the THIRD time

Then we rode the train over to Kiddie Land and let the boys play on the slides

They got to meet Buzz Lightyear!

And then the best part of that day came. We got to meet up with a fellow Liver Mom, Lisa and her family. Aiden (in the red polo) had a liver transplant, too. That's his younger brother, Mason, in the green polo.

Uncle Matt arrived in time to join us at the T-Rex Cafe in Downtown Disney!

With Joey, Lisa, Aiden and Mason after dinner.

I'll post more pictures from our last few days at Disney World soon!

Quick Laurie Update

2010-06-10T07:20:00.003-05:00

So I mentioned grad school in my last post, and I realized that I never posted here about that!

I have been a Med Tech for two and a half years, working at a local hospital. I enjoy my job, but I also have known for a while that I want more. So after researching different schools, I applied to a local college for consideration into their Physician's Assistant program. I wasn't accepted, and decided to give Med Tech another year before trying again. In the meantime, the program I had applied to had been closed.

I researched more programs, in different concentrations, and hit upon a graduate degree in Public Health, with a concentration in Epidemiology at the LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans. I applied and was accepted!

School officially starts in mid-August, at which time I will no longer have a life for the span of two years. I will drive to and from New Orleans each day (yikes!) and take 17 hours this first semester!

Because I'm going to be in New Orleans the majority of each day, I will not be able to continue working as a Med Tech. I've enjoyed working at my job these past couple of years, but I'm SO excited about what's coming up next!

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Disney Days 3-5 coming up this evening!

Disney World May 15 and 16

2010-06-08T06:41:00.004-05:00

Hi, remember me? No? Well.....hmmm.....

OK, so I have no excuse for not blogging. I haven't been working much, and I officially start GRAD SCHOOL in August (yay me)! But home = lots of play time with the boys, and when nap time finally rolls around, I'm usually, well, napping!

So now I'm going to finally get around to sharing pictures of our trip to Disney World. There are (quite) a few pictures, so I'm going to share them in blocks over the next few days.

Anthony and his grandparents (Nana and Grandpa) left for Disney World a day ahead of the rest of our household. They drove, and took two days to get there. Knowing Ben's temperament, Mark and I opted to fly.

Day One in Disney World wasn't really much - we arrived at the Animal Kingdom Lodge: Jambo House, ate, swam and collapsed in bed.

Day Two saw us at Animal Kingdom, and I think that park will go down as my favorite. It's really well laid out, and there was plenty for the kids to do there (see: pictures in Dino Land). Not to mention that the ride Expedition Everest is there, and we hadn't ridden that one before (it's pretty good). The one thing I've noticed about Disney World's adult rides: they're quick, and you'll usually only get one good drop/twirl out of the ride.

So without further ado, on to the pictures!

The Mickey towel that greeted us at the hotel:

The view from our balcony (or the grandparents' balcony, they were much the same)

After eating dinner the first night, we took the boys swimming at the hotel.

Day One at Animal Kingdom

Character breakfast at the Tusker House in Animal Kingdom!

We rode the Safari ride and saw a ton of Anthony's favorite animals

Hey, look! There's Mount Everest!

Dino Land!!

Nana and I rode the Medieval ride with Anthony and got whiplash! :)

If Ben was in the stroller, he was either eating grapes or drinking water/juice. He stayed well hydrated!

Ben loved the slides in Dino Land

Anthony loved the models in Dino Land

My little GQ man

We ate dinner at the Rainforest Cafe

VOOOLLLL CAAAA NOOOOO!! We ordered the "Volcano" for dessert: four brownies and a ton of ice cream, whipped cream and chocolate sauce.

The kids loved the dessert; although Ben had a little trouble using his fork!

More pictures to come!

Where in the World...

2010-05-23T20:17:00.002-05:00

Have we been?

More pictures and updates to come!

Things to Remember

2010-05-01T13:42:00.003-05:00

Anthony getting dressed up for dinner last night: jeans, long sleeved shirt and hair brushed. It was so adorable.

Benjamin's name for Grandpa: "Tee Ta!"

Anthony working his butt off to be good at school so that he can get his "treat" at the end of the week. We are bribing him with McDonald's Happy Meal toys. I have a feeling this might get worse as he gets older.

Benjamin's favorite word now as it pertains to food: Oh-PEEN (open).

Anthony's eyes today when I told him he was getting an extra dollar with his allowance this week (taking it to a total of $3.00) because he helped out a lot in the yard this morning. The kid thinks he's rich!

When asked where Nana or Grandpa or Daddy are, Benjamin will say, "Werk" (work). But if you ask him where Maw Maw or Paw Paw are, he says, "Ah he howz" (at his house). Apparently Maw Maw and Paw Paw don't work.

At nap time just a while ago, I told Anthony to pick out a few books to read and he grabbed his Nintendo DSi game manuals. Guess that's good nap time reading?

Weekend Fun

2010-04-19T20:53:00.003-05:00

We had a great weekend!

Crawfish Boil at Nana and Grandpa's with BOTH sets of grandparents.

I would like to title the next set of pictures "Benjamin vs Chocolate Pie". It's up to you to decide who won.

This is his ridiculously hilarious funny face that we can get him to make.

And then on Saturday, Mimi and Uncle Mike came to dinner (see blog post at Foodies for Thought for the menu). We took the boys swimming. And by that I mean that Mimi and I sat on the edge of the pool and dipped our legs in. Anthony swam and Benjamin hung out on the steps near Mimi and me. It was astonishingly cold! (Ask Mimi: she jumped right in and got right out!).

This photo absolutely slays me. I laugh out loud each time I see it!

Things to Remember - Benjamin Edition

2010-04-09T19:36:00.004-05:00

Benjamin's two funny faces: mouth wide open, eyes wide open, eyebrows all the way up; and his fake underbite.

That "Thank you" and "Bless you" sound exactly the same.

That when we're sitting together, he always takes my arms and wraps them around him just to make sure that I'm still there and not letting go.

When I'm singing him to sleep at night, he sings along. He's got most of the songs right, and he can actually hold a tune!

That he'll say "Ki Ki" (Kri Kri) a million times, but if she asks him to, he'll either say, "Noooo" or ask her "Dat?".

That MiMi's fiance is "Umpa Mite".

If you ask him where is Parrain (Uncle Marshall), he can point to him. When you ask him where Uncle Matt is, he can point to him, too. But if you point to Parrain and ask Benjamin what his (Parrain's) name is, he says, "MATT!"

When I turn right off of North Oak Hills Parkway onto Rue Crozat he will always say, "Nanny?" very hopefully, like if he says it sweetly enough, I'll cave and take him to see Nana instead of going somewhere else.

That if either grandfather is in the room, he wants nothing to do with anyone else; I love when they're both there because it's like his little head is going to explode from all the "grandfatherness" he's absorbing.

Books are a must before bedtime now. And it's specific books, and you have to sit in specific spots to read them.

That no matter what, NeeNee (Anthony) is the first person he asks for when I pick Benjamin up from school in the afternoons.

Foodies for Thought

2010-03-27T10:30:00.003-05:00

Mark and I are still blogging at Foodies for Thought. I'm enjoying trying recipes and selecting the picture(s) Mark takes. It's hard to know how to blog these recipes, though, so I've set up a poll to see how our readers want us to do it.

I personally don't like a lot of pictures clogging up the recipe. I figure folks know what a diced onion and minced garlic look like. And tomato sauce bubbling in a pot? Not so much fun to look at.

Mark thinks that we should blog it step-by-step with photographs like most food bloggers do.

Can you hop on over there to let us know what you think? Or are you even reading over there?

We've had almost 300 hits since we started the blog a month ago...and there are very few recipes featured there so far!

I'm hoping to enhance the blog soon; I want to change the template to something custom-made and I'd like to add more to the sidebar. More recipes, of course, will help, too!

Family update coming soon - not much is going on!

Outside

2010-03-20T06:09:00.002-05:00

Anthony and Benjamin love to play outside in our backyard. Since we don't have a pool fence up yet, it's sometimes pretty nerve wracking for me to be out there with them by myself. So when Mark gets home from work, we try to go out for an hour or so before dinner time. Yesterday, I was the one who worked late! While our shrimp were marinading (marinating?) we played hard. Bubbles were blown, slides were slid down, monkey bars were "walked", balls were thrown and kicked. I was so tired that I fell asleep at 8:30! :)

Enjoy the pictures!

What Transplant Means to Us

2010-03-09T02:14:00.002-06:00

A chance at life. At a normal life.

Today is six years since Anthony had his liver transplant.

March 5, 2004

2010-03-04T17:37:00.001-06:00

Foodies for Thought

2010-03-01T22:04:00.000-06:00

Mark and I have started, together, a new website where we will try out a new recipe (hopefully at least one per week) and post the recipe online. If you're interested, please head on over to Foodies for Thought and check it out! Hopefully, we'll enjoy doing this and will move forward with making it a permanent part of our weekly cooking adventures.

We would love to know what you think of our work-in-progress!

Pretty

2010-02-23T20:50:00.003-06:00

Mark bought a Candy Cane Camellia bush for me at the Fall LSU Hilltop Arboretum and it is blooming! Spring must be in the air! Right? Riiight? Anyone?

Happy Birthday, Nana!

2010-02-18T20:03:00.002-06:00

Today is Nana's birthday (Mark's mom). Six years ago, this is the picture I would have sent home for her to see.

Tonight we ate at Sammy's Grill and had boiled crawfish - and Anthony learned how to peel crawfish! And Benjamin learned how to eat crawfish: let Mommy peel one, shove it in my mouth, and sign "more" before I've even chewed and swallowed the first one.

I think Nana's birthday today was much better for her (and us!) than it was six years ago!

Snow

2010-02-12T09:05:00.000-06:00

The boys decide to play in the falling snow.

Remember This?

2010-02-09T05:00:00.003-06:00

Looking at this picture, I can't believe I didn't realize how sick he really was.

February 9, 2004

Thinking Back...

2010-02-08T20:13:00.002-06:00

Six years ago today (February 8, 2004 - was a Sunday), we got on an airplane and flew to Omaha.

Who Dat!

2010-02-07T21:51:00.001-06:00

We are traveling in the footsteps
Of those who've gone before
But if we stand reunited
Then a new world is in store

Oh when the saints go marching in
When the saints go marching in
Oh lord I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching in

And when the sun begins to shine
And when the sun begins to shine
Oh lord I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching in

When the moon turns red with blood
When the moon turns red with blood
Oh lord I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching in

On that hallelujah day
On that hallelujah day
Oh lord I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching in

Oh when the trumpet sounds the call
Oh when the trumpet sounds the call
Oh lord I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching in

Some say this world of trouble
Is the only one we need
But I'm waiting for that morning
When the new world is revealed

When the revolution comes
When the revolution comes
Oh lord I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching in

When the rich go out and work
When the rich go out and work
Oh lord I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching in

When the air is pure and clean
When the air is pure and clean
Oh lord I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching in

When we all have food to eat
When we all have food to eat
Oh lord I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching in

When our leaders learn to cry
When our leaders learn to cry
Oh lord I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching in

Never Forget - Exclusive Benjamin Version

2010-01-31T20:42:00.004-06:00

Benjamin, dropping EVERYTHING, to dance to Gitchie Gitchie Goo by Phineas and Ferb no matter where he is.

Walking up to Mimi's fiance, Uncle Mike, when they arrived tonight and saying, "Hi, Mite!"

At dinner tonight, Benjamin smeared his chili all over his face, hair, and arms. He kept rubbing his eyes and we couldn't believe that he wasn't screaming from getting chili sauce in his eyes.

Holding up his Nemo play phone and saying "Cheeeeeese" while pressing the "camera" button.

Saying, "Dink doo!", usually around a mouthful of sippy cup, when I give him his juice or milk.

And one Mimi "Never Forget": never forget Mimi rushing to the sink to wash her hands and arms because she definitely felt something "wet and warm" from Benjamin's bottom...and it was obvious that what was wet and warm wasn't something anyone would want on their hands and arms. Makes me glad I was washing dishes and so Mark had to deal with that prize diaper. Oh, and Mimi might have gagged a couple of times, too.

Oh. Mah. Gah...

2010-01-25T09:17:00.000-06:00

So the New Orleans Saints make it to the Super Bowl and then it's chilly outside the next morning? Is hell freezing over?

Who Dat!

Spaghetti

2010-01-23T05:04:00.003-06:00

It seems that Benjamin loves spaghetti just as much as his brother does.

Here's a picture of Anthony, shortly after he turned two (picture taken November 29, 2005):

And here is a picture of Benjamin from last night (January 22, 2010). He is 19-months old.

But I'm thinking it's not just their both liking spaghetti that makes these pictures similar. What do you think?

Frightening

2010-01-20T00:32:00.004-06:00

Midnight comes, and suddenly we are wakened by the sound of Benjamin screaming. Mark jumps out of bed and goes to Ben's room. I can hear him crying, "Mommm-meeeee! Mommm-meeeee!" Moments later I have my now-19-month old in my arms and I realize he's not even awake.

By 12:30 everyone is back in their own beds, asleep. All except me, of course. I'm laying here wondering what the hell just happened. This is the third or fourth time we've been wakened like this in the past six months.

Can a 19-month old have nightmares?

Staying Warm

2010-01-10T11:03:00.001-06:00

Cold Sunday mornings in pajamas are good for...

Playing Legos...

and snuggling in our tent.

Quiet

2010-01-02T19:57:00.002-06:00

It's been quiet around here! Christmas was lovely and the entire weekend was quiet and relaxing. I had four days off of work, and it was like I had hit the lottery.

Mark took the week in between Christmas and New Year's off, so he's had lots of time at home with the boys. I've had quite a bit of time off myself, so we've mostly been just hanging out as a family.

The busy things we've been doing have been playing with our Christmas toys. Yes, even I got Christmas toys! I got a Flip video camera that is awesome! It's compact and takes gorgeous videos. I also got a Netbook (tiny laptop), but that wasn't part of my Christmas present. I need something that I will be able to tote around campus when I return to school in June, and at three pounds the Netbook is the best option!

Anthony got a lot of Legos for Christmas. He and Mark spent hours each day putting them all together and playing with them. He also got a Monty Rex (T-Rex) robot. It's pretty funny! You rub under his chin and he turns his head into your hand and does this little T-Rex purr thing. He walks, roars, sneezes, snuggles...it's clearly Anthony's little dream come true.

Benjamin got Duplos (big Legos) and books. He loves to put his Duplos together while "Nee Nee" (Anthony) plays with his Legos. He also got a toy cell phone and set of keys. Those are his two obsessions when he roots through my purse.

Mark got gadgets. That is all. :) I am enjoying playing with some of them (especially this one).

I want to do a blog with a "2009 in Pictures" kind of review. I have Monday and Friday off from work this week, so hopefully I'll be able to get to it!

My Six-Year Old is Smarter than Me (Ahem...than I Am)

2009-12-17T19:19:00.003-06:00

Yesterday Anthony's conduct at school was poor. He pulled a White (warning) strip for talking, a Green strip for (more) talking, a Yellow strip for (more) talking and playing at naptime, and a Pink strip for throwing (he says dropping) sticks and leaves in a friend's hair on the playground.

I did the obligatory parent threat of "calling Santa" if his behavior didn't improve the next day. This was greeted with "NO!"s and "I promise I won't pull strips tomorrow!"s. A pouty lower lip might have also been employed.

Around midnight last night, Anthony woke up needing to go to the bathroom. I heard the toilet flush and got up to tuck him back into bed. He asked that I lay with him and I sank into his bed, half asleep.

"Mama?"

"Grblastidt?" (read: "Yes, Anthony?")

"Why would you call Santa to tell him I hadn't been good at school? Shouldn't you call Jesus since He is what Christmas is all about?"

Man. We're in serious trouble with this kid, aren't we?

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T09:05:00.002-06:00

I'm thankful, remembering where we were six years ago, that Anthony is healthy and not in the hospital.

I'm thankful for Benjamin, my rough-and-tumble little man.

I'm thankful for a husband who puts up with my crazies and continues to love me.

I'm thankful for the rest of my family.

I'm thankful that I have a job, and one that I actually enjoy.

I'm thankful that I am getting the opportunity to further my education (starting in January!).

I'm thankful.

And Now He's Six

2009-11-19T15:30:00.003-06:00

Dear Anthony,

Tomorrow you turn six-years old. Wait. That's not right, is it? You're SIX? I don't think I'm ready for this!

Five has been a fun year. Pre-K and some Kindergarten...and you're rocking the house, Bub. You're reading and not faltering over words. You're doing math - addition, subtraction, simple multiplication and division, fractions...you blow my mind with how inquisitive you are about everything.

And there's nothing you don't want to know about. Your main obsession, of course, is dinosaurs. You can spell and pronounce these 15-something letter dinosaur names, rattle off what time period they are from and where they lived, what they ate, what the purpose was of the plates on this one's back or the spines on that one's tail or the bumps above another one's eyes. Going to Washington, DC with you was one of the highlights of this past year for me. I'm not quite as obsessed with dinosaurs as you are, but I'm obsessed with you and so your passions are naturally mine.

Another love of yours is the Solar System. You can list the planets and know how many rings or moons each one has. You feel sorry for Pluto because he's not a planet anymore, so you'll sometimes draw him in on your pictures just so he won't feel left out. But you're quick to tell us that you know Pluto's not a planet.

Let's also not forget to mention your third obsession: the globe. You study your atlas with a serious concentration and constantly ask Daddy how to pronounce some Middle Eastern country's name. You know not to come to me with that kind of a question because I'll never be able to help! You know the location of most of the states in the US, you can point out all of the continents and can point out the Dead Sea and other bodies of water. It's a little shaming to me, because I can't even do a lot of that.

Your hands talk almost as much as you do. You are truly a kinetic kid. You never ever ever ever ever ever ever ever stop moving. Even in your sleep you wiggle and work your way around your bed. I'm amazed that you manage to stay in it every night! And while a lot of the time I wish you had come with a MUTE BUTTON, I know I'd never (OK, very rarely) use it.

Watching you this past year as you became a big brother and moved into that role in our family has been awe inspiring. Very rarely do you get impatient with Benjamin or the time Daddy and I have had to spend with him. You love being the first one in his room in the morning, want to climb into the crib with him, and love that he calls you "Nee Nee!!!!!" (and with that many exclamation points, always). You shine as a big brother - only getting upset when you're not FIRST to get dressed or get your shoes on.

That's a big thing with you lately. FIRST. First in the door, first out the door, first in your car seat, first buckled up, first to get milk, first to get food, first, first, first for everything. I'm hoping that with SIX we'll see a little less of that! I try so hard to make sure you're first for some things but not for everything. You've gotta learn, Bub!

You are strong-willed, compassionate, easy-going, and stubborn. You know what you want and you're not going to back down. But you also want to please the others around you. You are tall and skinny, but you eat like you're never going to be fed again. Broccoli is OK in broccoli and cheese soup, but not any other time. Spaghetti and meatsauce will always be your favorite food, I know. You swim like a fish and don't care that it's too cold to go swimming anymore - you still want to go (until I let you dip your foot in, and then you change your mind!). You love to build with Legos, especially if it means building a zoo for your dinosaurs. You still love to draw and color, and you always finish your homework on Monday night. Phineas and Ferb is your favorite TV show, and we will lay together for hours watching it (hey, it's a funny show!).

Some of my nicknames for you: Toodle bug, Oodles of doodles, Brother, Bub, and Little Man (although that's not very fitting anymore!). None of those are going to stick, I know, but it doesn't matter. Because really, you are just Anthony. And I think that's a pretty great thing for you to be.

Love, Mama

Super Star

2009-11-17T05:19:00.004-06:00

The story about Anthony's Wish Trip to Washington, DC is in our local paper today! The link below should take you to the story!!

Anthony's Wish Trip

These are the pictures featured in the article. The online version only shows one of these four.

Boooooring

2009-11-14T05:28:00.005-06:00

So this blog has got to be the most boring place on earth to visit. Especially these little (slightly whiny) "Thankful" posts. Yaaawn!

I'm just not going to continue with the "Thankful" challenge. No one from that blog even comes here, I'm sure. I've probably got, oh, three people who read this blog (Hi, Mom! Hi, Margaret! Hi, Grammy!), and they're probably even bored with me.

Instead, I'm going to publicly berate myself. That oughta be fun, right?

OK. So here's the deal. I am the worst "Thank You" note writer. I have all these good intentions, but when it comes down to writing the actual "Thank You", I freeze. What am I supposed to say? If someone sends me a gift, I want to let them know I appreciate their thoughtfulness (AND the gift), but I hate just writing, "It was so thoughtful of you to send me *insert gift here*. I really appreciate it!" BLECH. Can anyone say GENERIC?

I am just not an eloquent person. I want to be! I really do.

So now I am faced with the task of thanking the many people who made Anthony's Wish Trip to Washington, DC so amazing. No, I have not written my "Thank You's" yet! I know! Embarrassing!! I have so much I want to say, so many people I want to say it to, but I just am having a hard time writing it down without it sounding disgustingly generic. And I CANNOT be generic with these "Thank You's"! I even have gifts - at my house, waiting to be sent out - to go with these "Thank You's".

The excuse I'm allowing myself to use is that we have just been pedal-to-the-metal busy since coming home from DC. Every weekend has been slammed with things to do, and this weekend is no different. Except that I'm sitting here blogging at 5:00am on Saturday instead of sitting at the kitchen table writing the "Thank You's".

I'm going to get to it, no doubt. Everyone will get their "Thank You's" and gifts. I just hope it'll be sometime before I fossilize.

Thankful - Friday Edition

2009-11-13T07:42:00.000-06:00

T.G.I.F.

Enough said!

Thankful - Lazy

2009-11-12T09:00:00.001-06:00

I am thankful for a quiet morning doing laundry and sitting on my bed sewing before I have to head to work.

Thankful - A Double Whammy

2009-11-11T21:03:00.002-06:00

I am thankful for my state-worker husband having today off; a rare mid-week treat especially since I had today off, too. We were able to accomplish a lot around the house sans kids and it was nice to just be with just him.

I am also thankful for my father who is a veteran of the Vietnam War, even though he will downplay his role in Vietnam as a chaplain's assistant. Still important, still admirable, still my dad.

Thankful - the Comedic Version

2009-11-10T10:50:00.001-06:00

Today I am thankful for my not-quite-yet six-year old who told me, "Mommy, I love your soft belly. It's like a really good pillow." Gotta get something out of all of that not exercising!

Better Late than Never...

2009-11-09T09:52:00.002-06:00

I had this idea in my head that I was going to post one thing/day that I am thankful for, starting on November 1, through Thanksgiving. Well, today is the ninth, and I haven't even started this challenge. Ooops!

Ahem.

Now.

Here we go.

Today, I am thankful for my faith. It's not always been strong, but it's gotten me through some tough times. Today, it's really working overtime at doing it's job.

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T21:13:00.002-05:00

(Benjamin is a giraffe and Anthony is an astronaut)

Morton's of Chicago

2009-10-25T07:06:00.001-05:00

Friday night we ate at Morton's of Chicago in DC. It was cold and rainy outside, and it was delightfully warm in the restaurant. We checked our coats, bags, booksacks, scarves, gloves...we had a lot of STUFF with us!

We sat at a round table, back in the corner where we could see all of the restaurant (but, thankfully, where my boys wouldn't be able to bother the other patrons).

Quick aside: this trip was provided for Mark, Anthony, Benjamin and me by Kids Wish Network. My parents and Mark's parents joined us on their own dime. Mark called before we left Baton Rouge to speak to the manager at Morton's to ask if our families could join us, as long as they paid for themselves. The manager, Kate, said, "Absolutely not. Your family will join you, and the entire bill will be taken care of." And not only was the entire bill taken care of, our reception at Morton's was beautiful. Anthony was treated like a celebrity. Our waiter told Anthony that his own son's name is Anthony. The waiter also brought to the table dinosaur coloring pages he had found and a pack of crayons for each of the boys.

Our waiters came to show us our menu - and by show, I mean, rolled a cart over with all of our steak, lobster, and vegetable options. It was a beautiful display! We weren't even able to take it all in (I was very grateful that they provided written menus)! The lobster was beautiful (and huge), but we all agreed that you just can't order lobster at a steak restaurant - especially one famous for their steaks.

We all got appetizers; mine were four Oysters Rockefeller served on a bed of sea salt. Mark got jumbo shrimp, but I don't remember what the parents ordered. Anthony and Benjamin's filet mignon came out early, and they ate almost the entire thing between them!

I don't remember what everyone had, but I think most of us had filet mignon (I got the filet mignon special that was bone-in and perfectly cooked to medium rare). I do know that my dad got a Cajun filet (in DC!) and it was really well-seasoned.

Dessert almost needs its own post. Mark, my parents, and his dad each got the chocolate lava cake, Mark's mom got Creme Brulee and I got the New York style cheesecake. I should have gotten the chocolate lava cake. Don't get me wrong; the cheesecake was delicious, but I had severe chocolate envy when I saw that cake.

After dinner, Anthony, Mark and the grandfathers got a tour of the kitchens and got to meet our chef and the rest of the staff. Mark said that the kitchen staff were all very kind to Anthony and were glad to meet "the special little boy" that they had all heard so much about. He got his own chef's hat and proudly wore it at the table.

I wish that I could thank the folks from Morton's again. I only said it 100 times that night; I think they should hear it at least that many times more. Anthony had a blast and enjoyed all of the attention!!

Chef Geoff's

2009-10-23T15:19:00.002-05:00

After we arrived at our hotel in DC on Thursday, October 15, Mark, Anthony and I hopped on the Metro to head to Chef Geoff's downtown. It's three blocks from the White House, but it was too late to do any sight seeing! We didn't even arrive at the restaurant until 9:30-ish.

Anthony was excited because they had spaghetti on the menu; the waiter brought it out as quickly as possible and Anthony ate and ate. The meatballs were awesome; they were made out of Italian sausage and were pretty big! The pasta was penne, which is one of Anthony's favorite "shape spaghettis" (as he calls it). And the fact that there was freshly grated Parmesan cheese to add on top was just the icing on the cake. They had his favorite dinner down PAT!

Mark and I both ordered the filet; he had Yukon mashed potatoes and I had garlic spinach. By the time our food came, Anthony had eaten and fallen asleep in my lap. He was so tired from the crazy day of travel, and it was already 10:00!

We ordered dessert to go - I got two small pumpkin cakes with mascarpone cheese in the middle with a caramel sauce; Mark got a fudge brownie with ice cream and caramel sauce.

As we were leaving, our waiter handed us a signed menu from Chef Geoff. He wasn't at the restaurant that night, but he had signed a menu for Anthony ahead of time.

A quick cab ride back to the hotel, and we were all tucked in for the night, ready for our trip to see the dinos the next day.

Dinner was quick, but it was delicious. I would definitely eat there again (and again).

The Smithsonian - Dinosaur Exhibit

2009-10-22T16:28:00.004-05:00

Friday morning, October 16, we arrived at the Natural History Museum at 9:00. We were met there by our two "tour guides". I use "tour guides" loosely, because the two gentlemen who guided us through the dinosaur exhibit are VIPs at the Smithsonian. Jerry Sachs is the Special Assistant to the Director and Head of NMNH Business Ventures (as best I can ascertain) and Matt Carrano is the Curator of Dinosauria. So we didn't just get a couple of high school volunteers to guide us!

We spent about an hour going through the dinosaur exhibit before it opened to the public. Anthony got to see every fossil (or cast of a fossil) up close and he got to really take his time looking at each one. He asked a lot of good questions, according to the paleontologist. I wouldn't know; I don't know much about dinosaurs, except that the T-Rex was huge, the Triceratops had three horns and the Ankylosaurus had a clubbed tail. Anthony stayed "on task" better than I have ever seen him do before. He was so interested in everything the paleontologist had to say and really listened when Matt talked to him.

From there, we went behind the scenes to where the museum keeps the fossils that are not on display. Anthony got to hold a T-Rex tooth, Woolly Mammoth hair (fur?), Saber Tooth Tiger teeth, dinosaur dung, and a few other things. We also saw a preserved "steak" from a Woolly Mammoth. The paleontologist even said that some people have eaten Woolly Mammoth steaks since they've been perfectly preserved in ice! He said that he's not tried it, and that from what he understands, there's almost no tasted so the only point in eating it is to say that you've done so.

After that we moved on to the paleontology lab. Anthony got to meet other paleontologists, paleobiologists, and excavators. He got to hold a few of the tools they use for excavation purposes and (I think) he got to chip at a little of the rock holding a bone "captive". He got to play in the sand that is used to hold the bones in place while the paleontologists try to put the puzzle together before they begin to glue pieces together. We saw fossils preserved in sediment (trilobites, I think) and then moved on to a large room where they are putting together another dinosaur (I called it an Allosaurus, Anthony corrected me and said it's a Camptosaurus. Please excuse my error). I was truly interested here; the paleontologist showed me where this animal most likely suffered from an infection of the bone, and that it may likley have been what killed that dinosaur. Finally, we were on my level. Osteomyelitis I can understand! :)

From there we wandered back to the dinosaur exhibit. It was crowded now with people, but Matt still answered a few more of Anthony's questions and gave us his undivided attention. He suffered willingly through more pictures, too!

This visit alone made the entire trip worth it. To see Anthony's face when he was deep in discussion with the paleontologist was priceless. He looked like a little man. And I'm so proud of him because he truly held his own in the discussion. This was undoubtedly a dream come true for Anthony - and for ME!

Anthony's Kids Wish Network Trip

2009-10-20T08:11:00.004-05:00

I cannot even begin to express how amazing and wonderful a time we had in Washington, DC. Everyone we met was so excited to meet Anthony and knew a lot of his history. There is so much I want to tell everyone, so much I want to write down. I think for right now I'll just post pictures and then add information as the days go on. This post would be far too long with words and pictures. I'll put captions to the pictures, but will write more on each subject later.

I will say this: as I stood in the Smithsonian at the dinosaur exhibit, I couldn't help but let myself have a little cry. Anthony is here. Anthony is healthy. Anthony is amazing. All of that could have been taken from me, and I will never forget that.

October 16 Pictures:

With the Curator of Dinosauria, Matt

Checking out the club from the end of the tail of an Ankylosaurus

Woolly Mammoth hair

Saber Tooth Tiger tooth

Dino dung!

In the paleontology lab

Checking out the head of an Allosaurus

At the Metro entrance by our hotel

Dinner was at Morton's of Chicago, and it was delicious (nobody had the lobster, though)!

Nana and Grandpa

Maw Maw and Paw Paw

Mark and Laurie

The grandfathers with Anthony

Anthony and Benjamin

October 17 Pictures

The whole fam-damily

With Susan

Anthony and Amelia

Back from DC

2009-10-18T20:07:00.001-05:00

We had an amazing time. I have tons of pictures to wade through, and amazing stories to sit and write. I still can't believe we've been there and come back...the anticipation leading up to our trip was longer than the trip...and the trip was AWE.SOME.

Hang tight; I'll post pictures soon!!

Washington, DC

2009-10-14T10:49:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow Mark, Anthony, Benjamin and I head to Washington, DC for Anthony's wish trip through Kids Wish Network. Nana, Grandpa, Maw Maw and Paw Paw will join us there, too!

I want to lay out our itinerary here, so that you can follow along on our trip. There will be lots of links for you to click on and see what we'll be up to! As I can, I'll post pictures, too. It's going to be a whirlwind trip, so I may not get a chance to blog until our return on Sunday.

We will fly from the New Orleans airport to Atlanta and then connect to DC. There, a limousine will be waiting to take us to the Marriott Wyndham hotel. We will check in and immediately hand Ben over to the grandparents so that Mark, Anthony and I can dine (at 8:00pm!) at Chef Geoff's Downtown.

Friday morning, we head to the Smithsonian for a tour of the dinosaur bones! I believe it will be a private tour; hopefully Anthony will get to meet a paleontologist. We'll spend the morning there (and search the museum over for pieces to make a dinosaur costume for Halloween).

After lunch somewhere, we'll head to the National Zoo for a private tour. We were asked if Anthony prefers "big, furry animals" or reptiles. Of course I said, "Big, furry animals"! So there must be something special going on there.

Friday we will all eat at Morton's of Chicago (which Anthony finds hilarious since we'll be in Washington, DC and NOT in Chicago).

Saturday morning we will get a private tour of the Air and Space Museum. If no dino costume was procured Friday, I'm hoping to convince Anthony he wants to be an astronaut or pilot. That should be easy to make, right?

Saturday afternoon is free and we're hoping to spend it with a couple we met in January at our friends Chris and Alissa's wedding. Susan and Peter have a young daughter, and they live in the DC area. We're hoping they can help us do something fun - even if it's just hanging out!

Saturday night's dining adventure is at Bluepoint Restaurant. Since our party is large, the manager has arranged for us to have a private dining room with a large, flat screen TV to entertain the kids. The itinerary says that the chef has "something special set up for Anthony". I can't wait to see what it is!!

Sunday morning another limousine will arrive at the hotel to bring us back to the airport.

I am so excited about this trip! I can't thank Vanessa, our Wish Coordinator at Kids Wish Network enough for her involvement and hard work. This has been a beautiful experience so far, and I know it's going to be even more special once we're in DC. If you are looking for a place to give a charitable donation, Kids Wish Network would be a great one!

Stay tuned for pictures!

Never Forget

2009-10-11T19:24:00.002-05:00

Benjamin putting his fingers together in the air and singing, "Bispy, bispy, pie-pee!" and Anthony singing the words for him while they go through the motions together:

The itsy-bitsy spider
Climbed up the water spout.
Down came the rain
And washed the spider out.
Out came the sun
And dried up all the rain.
And the itsy-bitsy spider
Climbed up the spout again!

Walking with Dinosaurs

2009-10-03T07:18:00.004-05:00

Anthony, Mark, Mimi and I went to Walking with Dinosaurs last night! When we first got to our seats, Anthony did this huge FREAK OUT where he was yelling, kicking and screaming that he was scared, wanted to go home, didn't get enough sleep at nap time and was tired, on and on and on...it was pretty amazing (and seriously annoying). A little tough love later (Mama's going to stay and watch, and so you can't leave. You can sit on Mama's lap and cover your eyes and ears, but we're staying.), and he calmed down, was ready to talk about all the dinosaurs we were going to see and was talking about all of the pictures in the program we had bought for him.

Then the dinosaurs came out. And he was, literally, enthralled. He sat on my lap for some of the show, but mostly he bounced around in his own seat and waved at the dinosaurs as they passed our seats.

Oh, and the seats? Totally awesome. Our original seats were a little higher up, but the lighting, sound and film crew needed the higher vantage point, so our seats were moved down a level. When the T-Rex came to our side of the arena and roared, you could almost smell her breath. :)

All of the pictures I have were taken with my iPhone camera. I have no flash or zoom, so they quality is lacking a little. But remember: NO ZOOM, so the dinos you see are just as we saw them!

Sporting his new dinosaur T-shirt

Showing off his program (the pictures in this program are GORGEOUS).

As the "paleontologist" talked about how lush one of the periods was, the greenery popped out of the center rock and all along the sides. When he talked about how hot the next period was, the plants slowly wilted. It was so neat how they did these effects.

Two Apatosuaruses (Apatosauri?): Mama and baby

Three Utahraptors

Anthony sat, wide-eyed, throughout most of the program.

Ankylosaurus (the best-armored dinosaur ever)

Mama T-rex does not like the Torosaurus picking on her baby T-rex.

I wish this wasn't blurry, but the T-rex came to roar at us, and this was exactly how close she was. Anthony (and Mimi) jumped! Literally, our seats shook! And as the Mama T-rex roared, her baby would "meow" right behind her. It was so funny.

As the "paleontologist" tells you about the big meteor heading to earth at 20 miles per second, you see Mama T-rex and her baby snuggling in the background.

The meteor is hitting!

I'm so glad that we were able to go, and that Anthony was able to calm down to stick it out. But mostly I'm glad that Anthony was well enough to go!

He has missed this entire past week at school because he's been sick. I received a call from the school on Monday morning around 9:30 that Anthony was running "a little temperature". I got him home and his temperature was 102! I took him to the pediatrician on Tuesday and he was diagnosed with the flu (rapid flu test was positive, it wasn't just a random diagnosis) and the pediatrician suspected that he had pneumonia. So scripts for Tamiflu and Zithromax were prescribed, along with a lot of rest. Anthony was fever-free by Tuesday, but his white blood cell count was pretty low and I was nervous about sending him back to school when his infection-fighting ability was low. We got the all-clear to go to the dinosaur show, and Anthony will return to school on Monday.

You wouldn't know he had been sick, except for the nasty cough that he's still occasionally sporting. We're going to skip his soccer game this morning so that his running is kept to a minimum (can't keep this kid down for long). I'm just glad this is over and he's healthy again!

Anthony, Nana and Grandpa will go back to the dinosaur show tonight. We were given four tickets by the RiverCenter as part of his wish trip with Kids Wish Network.

Speaking of his wish trip, we will head to Washington, DC mid-October. Be sure that pictures will accompany that trip!

Backyard Fun!

2009-09-28T11:18:00.002-05:00

The two sets of grandparents bought Anthony and Benjamin a new wooden play set for the backyard!

Mark, Grandpa and Paw Paw spent the better part of two afternoons putting it together, and it's still not finished! Once completed it will have: monkey bars, a clubhouse, rock climbing "wall", a slide, a glider and two swings!

The kids had a great time "helping" and playing outside with everyone.

All five guys "working"

Anthony in the clubhouse

Ben had fun dumping the bubbles out of the wand, and tasting the soap. He only made that mistake twice!

I love the expression on Anthony's face. "I'm waaaatching youuuu!"

The hose was turned on for a little water fun. Anthony is staying a careful distance back so as not to get wet.

The pool toys even got some action! We did go swimming earlier in the day, but this whale (dolphin?) is impossible to stay on while in the pool, so Anthony played with it after swimming.

Benjamin LOVES splashing and being splashed in the face. Mark turned the hose off so that Ben would look in it for the water and then Mark would turn it back on so that it would splash Ben. I, the caring mother, took pictures.

Climbing up the newly put together slide!

First to slide down...

Brother's turn!

And now, Anthony is home sick. He went to school this morning, but is home in bed with a fever, sore throat and headache. I hope he's better by Friday - we're taking him to see Walking with Dinosaurs!!

Fifteen Months

2009-09-20T20:54:00.004-05:00

Fifteen Months

Height: 32 7/8"
Weight: 25 1/2 pounds

Loves: being chased by Anthony, saying "DADA!" when I say "Cookie Monster!", being outside, loud noises

Hates: being left standing at the back door when someone goes outside, not getting a bite when he sees you with food, not being rightthere when the bath water is running

An die Freude

2009-09-19T13:37:00.002-05:00

Be embraced, millions!
This kiss for the whole world!
Brothers, above the starry canopy
Must a loving Father dwell.
Do you bow down, millions?
Do you sense the Creator, world?
Seek Him beyond the starry canopy!
Beyond the stars must He dwell.

Bubbles and Brothers AND Lights and Legos

2009-09-13T19:45:00.005-05:00

It's been a quiet few weeks here at home. We've had work and school, Ben was sick (virus - nothing big), LSU and Saints football to watch (finally!)...but really it's been quiet and we like it that way!

Anthony had lab work done at the beginning of the month, and like always they were rock solid. It's amazing to me how well he's done; I try never to take it for granted.

While the weather was nice earlier this week, we played outside (but not in the pool - the water is chilly!). Bubbles and basketball were the orders of the afternoon. Ben likes when the bubbles come TO him and pop on him.

I am amazed at how tall Anthony is. I shouldn't be, given that Mark and I are just shy of six feet each. But he really is just TALL. And LANKY. All arms and legs (and mouth).

I finally put batteries in this toy that Anthony's had forever. It twirls when you push a button and the lights come on. Ben got the hang of it right away and sat for quite some time (five whole minutes) playing with it.

Anthony and Mark put the police car and plane together this afternoon during Ben's nap. Now the fun part is keeping them out of Ben's reach.

A quick update on both boys:

Our house has been full of make-believe, dinosaurs and maps of the world lately. Anthony is having the time of his life finding out where all the different dinosaur bones have been found. I sincerely hope he becomes a paleontologist with all of this dinosaur knowledge he's storing up in his head! Anthony is doing well in school, with a few issues on keeping his mouth shut (can't imagine where he gets that from) and playing after it's time to stop playing (again, can't imagine that!). His reading is very advanced, and he's begun asking us how to add and subtract negative factors (Yesterday: "Mama, negative two plus four equals TWO!"). He even understands simple fractions.

Benjamin is talking more and more. He now says, "UP!" and "ROAR" (lion). He runs to his high chair when we say "eat" and to the back door when we say, "Let's go 'Bye bye'!". He loves to eat fresh fruit (bananas, peaches, pears, plums, mangoes, pineapple) and beans. He's still a clingy kid, but not a snuggler. He hates when he can't see me and wants to be literally attached to me at all times. But he doesn't mind if I leave him with someone, either. As long as I leave, he's content to be without me.