Here are a few pictures of the boys this morning before their day-care Trick-or-Treat party! This year is sooo much fun! They know exactly what is going on and LOVED being football players like Uncle Chance! More to come from the weekend festivities.
Brennen saying WHOA! (Brennen (l), Braeden (r))
Brennen
Braeden
Brennen (l), Braeden (r)
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
And this is why it took us 30 extra minutes to get ready this morning!
Brennen refused to take off my shoes and put on his clothes. He thought it would be totally cool to wear this to school today. (YES Mommy’s boots with only a pull-up) AND Braeden thought that he could wear his pajamas just like this. Because really who needs clothes, they both have their feet covered! I finally convinced Brennen that Mommy needed to wear those boots. Yup, totally had to change my entire OUTFIT! And Braeden finally followed in suit. We actually wore clothes to school today, their own clothes and shoes.
Oh the wonderful life of boys! =/ Never a dull moment around here!
It has been a LONG two weeks. It started out with a stomach virus and then today the day-care called me about Brennen crying after he woke up from his nap. They couldn’t figure out what was wrong, but I kinda already knew! Both of the boys have been pulling at their ears, so I figure it had come to the point where I needed to return to the ER for some antibiotics. I think it is totally STUPID that we can not just go to a local doctors office for small things and they sometimes look at me funny when I walk into the ER and say…I just need antibiotics. HA I think they have finally learned me by name though and know my situation and the way my insurance works. Anyways, at 4:00 today we left for the ER and Brennen was SCREAMING the entire time. I felt horrible…I should have gotten it taken care of yesterday, but had a LOT of homework due. I have loaded my schedule to the MAX this semester (23 hours to be exact) so I can finish quicker..But I’m starting to re-think my thoughts. Should I load my schedule so I can finish quicker or take a lighter load and have to go another semester?? Anyways, I was right. Brennen has an ear infection with an upper respiratory infection and Braeden’s ears looks pretty clear so they just determined an upper respiratory infection due to the HORRIBLE cough. Braeden is allergic to Augmentin which means he is probably allergic to penicillin so it is very difficult to treat him for these types of illnesses! I will NEVER forget the story about finding out how he was allergic to Augmentin. We were back in Texas from Florida for a visit and he got an ear infection, they gave it to us and we took it for the required 10 days. At day 11 he became red-speckled little boy. A total body rash. I immediately turned to the internet and sure enough, after you are FINISHED taking the medicine the rash begins, which is easily treated with Benadryl. He sure did look HORRIBLE. Anyways, they gave Brennen amoxicillin for 10 days since his ears looked so bad and Braeden Azithromycin for 4 days. Here is the problem. I have medicine LOVING kids. If one boy needs Motrin or any medicine, they cry until the other gets it. THEY LOVE IT! =/ I’m going to have to get creative for Braeden’s “medicine” for those extra 6 days. I’m thinking colored water. HAHA Anyways, Brennen turned back into my outgoing Brennen within an HOUR of that first dose. It looks like maybe we got rid of this. I hope hope hope this isn’t a bad sign for the winter and they are sick all year. I know with it being their first year in day-care that is a strong possibility. But I was assured that they weren’t contagious and could return to day-care tomorrow as long as they felt fine. I feel bad, I wished I could stay at home with them every day but it just can’t happen and me do school work too. If I’m writing, they think they need to write, If I’m on the computer, they think they need in my lap to look at Daddy. Hopefully they will be better tomorrow so I can catch back up for the week!
On a funnier note: I have been asking the boys what their names are. They will both call Brennen by his name, but EVERY time I ask what Braeden’s name is they SCREAM at the top of their lungs BROTHER BEAR! I have no idea where this came from, but it is hilarious. We might need to get an official name change because they BOTH refuse to say Braeden. We will just have a Brother Bear Henry and Brennen Zain Henry.
Today I was picking up their toys and Brennen decided to dump them all back out..It was hard for me to get mad since he is sick (I turn into a softy) and I said Brennen Zain in a goofy voice and Braeden then tried to disipline Brennen and YELLED No-No Brennen Zain. It was too funny. Braeden all a sudden has become Mr. Mommy around here…Every time I get onto one of them Braeden has to repeat EVERYTHING I say. I guess it comes with being the oldest! =]
In
8 days
192 hours
11,520 minutes
691,200 seconds
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Beau will officially be back in Texas!
WOOHOO!!
Well all our stuff will still be in storage in Florida (please pray there are NO hurricanes)..
AND he will still be 8 hours away, but that is better than 18 hours away..
AND we can drive to san Antonio without a $1000 bill for flying to Pensacola..just me and the boys for the weekend
Him being back in Texas means sooo much. It’s a milestone. We often said..If we can just make it to here and look we did and we are that much closer to us all living under the same roof again!
Time to start planning out our living arrangements for Abilene..To buy or not to buy. TO rent or to live on base. Man too many decisions I better get busy planning!!
The boys sooo miss their Daddy..We talk about him daily and they always want to look at the computer at some pictures..Here are some of my favorite!
Beau was soo into the delivery..He wanted to watch the entire thing…
At OTS graduation..Man it was soo nice to be together again…
When Beau got his flight suit…
Sitting on the couch watching TV with daddy and eating ice cream…
Our first official FAMILY picture…
When he was winged. One of the last things we did together as a family…
Ok, warning this is not my usual up-beat about the boys post! It’s going to be a long, very emotional post. It has taken me over a week to write and it has a lot of emotion in it. I need to post this for myself to remember and come back and read whenever, I need to post this for me to let out the sadness I feel, I need to post this for me to talk to me! Blogging is my therapy..Hence the 30 posts a day.
Exactly 27 days ago my dad’s home phone rang (Thursday September 3rd)! I immediately knew it was about my Granny! I got chill bumps all over and I knew that my dad’s phone never rings and it was around 11:00 that night. It was my Nana and Granny was in a lot of pain and thought that she had broken a rib but couldn’t move. I immediately said we will be right there an hung up the phone. My granny was a very independent 97 year old woman! Her biggest fear was being put in a nursing home or not being able to live on her own! She was a healthy individual and the first time she was EVER in the hospital was when she accidently fell getting the mail when she was 92. 92 years, 3 children and NEVER in the hospital…That within itself is amazing. She argued with my Nana for over 30 minutes not to bother us, we were probably already in bed. She always thought of others before her. So my dad and I arrive at my Granny’s prepared to take her to the ER. We try to get her standing up and she is in soo much pain that we decide to call the ambulance. They arrive, and help us go to a small local hospital. They complete x-rays and tell us that there is no complete break and send us back home! How in the world we made it back in the car and got her home that night is still a mystery to my. Well not a mystery, I know 2 things had to be for certain! Number 1, she was in a LOT more pain than she was telling us and number 2, God was working in very mysterious ways helping her thru the pain and making it a quick trip. This was a Thursday night/early Friday morning. By Saturday morning, my dad knew something was really wrong, he finally convinced her to go back to the ER as she was not able to go the bathroom and we feared the worse, kidney failure! Once in the hospital this time, they ran TONS of tests and found that she might have a perforated bowel. They rushed her to Lubbock for emergency surgery. No one gave her a chance to make it thru the surgery, she was 97 after all! Well once in surgery they discovered a ulcer on her stomach that had torn it and allowed all her gastric acid to spill over her intestines. They were able to get everything cleaned up, minus the burned outsides of her intestines and sewn back up and she made it thru. They had a couple times where her blood pressure dropped, but nothing too bad. We were then sent to Surgical ICU, bed 23. Granny had a breathing tube in and tubes going every which way! Most of our family lives in California and they were heading down because most of us knew that this would be the time. I remember getting to see Granny after surgery that night. She was just Granny…I look back and know that this is how I will always remember my Granny. Not swollen, very peaceful, just Granny! Over the next 2 days her kidneys shut down. She began to swell to a point that she didn’t even look the same. When my great aunt and uncle arrived them along with my Nana would decide whether to pull her breathing tube or not. We believed that once this came out it would be the end. We knew she wanted it out, she would get very agitated when we talked about it. We knew what she wanted, we just weren’t prepared for the aftermath. That night, my strong willed Granny decided to take matters into her own hands. We all had to leave the SICU since they have special visiting hours, a cousin got special permission to come back to stay, but first we all had to get everyone to the hotel. We ALL left and Cindy was to be back within 30 minutes and Granny knew. She got all her vitals stable, and started using her tongue and got the thing out before we even got to the hotel. She knew the consequences, she was very alert and could answer any yes/no question you asked her. She could hear the doctors talking. She knew and from that moment on, everyone in the family knew that she was ready. We would come during our visiting hours and just talk and enjoy our time with our Granny. We had her smiling, she loved giving us kisses, it was as if she was going to be ok, but we knew that she was ready to go. One Tuesday night, we all told her good night and my aunt said see you in the morning. Granny opened her eyes, looked at her and shook her head no. She knew that she would not be back in the morning. She knew that God was calling her, she knew that we all loved her and understood. She was at peace. Around 4:00 Tuesday night, early Wednesday morning she passed away. Granny always made a presence and she left this world to be in a wonderful place on 9/9/09. She amazed every single nurse and doctor in that SICU. She amazed every single family member that was around..She was amazing within herself.
Now, here is where I get to my problems..which is somewhat selfish when I start typing it. But hopefully this will help me to know what to do next. I grew up in the same town as Granny. Granny was at everything I ever in my life did! I mean EVERYTHING. She did not miss a single basketball game, she did not miss a single awards ceremony. She didn’t missed anything that I did. She was so excited when I found out I was pregnant. She got a little sick a few months before I was due and just kept telling me I hope I make it to see those beautiful boys. She did, and she made herself to the hospital the day I had them and held them and loved them as any Granny would although she didn’t feel 100%. She got upset when she found out we were going to Florida..She didn’t want us to go. She was sure to let us know that she wasn’t going to get to see us as much. And of course we didn’t get to be around her as much as I so desperately wished right now. She always wanted me to come up to her house with the boys. Once I moved back to Texas in July my life went crazy and I we didn’t get to see her as much as I wished we could. Friday, the day after we went to the ER all night for the first time I took the boys up there to see her. She lit up, she had a huge smile on her face even though she was in sooo much pain. That will be the last time my precious boys can ever play at Granny’s with her there. How do I explain to my kids how wonderful of a person she was..How can I become at least half of the mom, granny, woman she was? I know Granny is in an amazing place, I know that. But I don’t know how to drive past her house (which I have to do several times a day) and not look and see if her front door is open. I did that for MANY years, how do I stop looking to see if she is sitting in her chair. How do I stop looking at the windows at night hoping, wishing for a light to be on?? How do I go up there and look through her stuff to see that she kept a picture I colored when a I was 5? How do I make her special chocolate pies at Thanksgiving and Christmas that she taught me and only me? I don’t know how to answer these questions or learn not to look in the door especially when it hurts sooo bad every time I pass by. I pray every day that I can find peace to drive by or go up there..I desperately need peace. I have peace of mind knowing that she is in an amazing place…I just can not find peace for myself.
The day I had the boys…
The day I left for Florida..Our 5 generations…
(I love this picture..Look at those smiles!!)
Back from Florida visiting…
The last picture I took with Granny!
Well today, after officially trying for 32 days the boys both had 0 accidents! These past 32 days have worked my patience to levels I never knew existed! I love my boys to death and I knew knew knew they could potty train but they decided to be stubborn just like with everything else! =] They have been fully trained at day-care for weeks, but refused to potty after they got home! They thought it was just something they were suppose to do at day-care. BUT after many accidents, a few underwear in the trash because mommy wouldn’t clean poop we finally have figured it out! Brennen has had 2 days now without an accident and today was Braeden’s 1st. Braeden had a little bit of an excuse yesterday though..The end of the virus started and he had some nasty poop!
Anyways. I’m so proud of the boys and even more important they are sooo proud of themselves! I asked them today if they were big boys and they got the biggest grin on their face and said “Yup”! I heard about poop and T-T for 30 minutes on our drive home from Nanny’s. They talked about how they had to use the potty and how their T-T makes bubbles and how it goes bye-bye when you flush it! I was dying laughing the entire time thinking..Man only with 2 year olds you would have this conversation for 30 minutes.
Although it has been a long 32 days that smile today made every second, every washer full of wet undies, and even every pooped undies sooo worth it! They are officially big boys! No more pampers! =]
