The kids are doing so great and I'm excited for Fall. Seth is almost 2 and I can't believe my baby is getting so big. It has been such a great summer and I'm having so much fun with both my boys. Since big brother Tate is in preschool now Seth and I get to have some mommy and me time. On Mondays we go to the Library for story time and then to Chick-Fil-A with all our friends. Seth hasn't gotten that into singing though he loves to at home. He is actually a pretty shy boy but I'm sure once he gets used to it he will break out of his shell. He really does like showing out at home and for certain people. He loves to sing and dance and he really loves reading books. I have moved Tate back into his room with Seth (he has been sleeping in the quest room for several months) and bedtime is so much fun for me, reading to both the boys and saying our bedtime prayers. Seth just looks at you when you pray but when you are done he says AMEN. The boys are also playing really well together. They will chase each other all over the house, jump on the bed or even wrestle. Seth is actually getting pretty tough with Tate, will have to start watching him a little more closely, ha ha.

I have some pictures of them playing in the armoire in the playroom, which by the way I have now reorganized and put toys in that I don't want them to get into like colors, markers, play-doh, games, leggos, blocks and all the puzzles. They must ask to get something in there and can only take one thing at a time. I was getting so tired of not being able to find parts to stuff and everything being cluttered. I know all my friends who know how bad my playroom is would be really proud of me. And the boys can no longer "hang" out in there.

Tate also got to go to a farm a few weekends ago and loved getting to see the cows up close. He had a really good time. He even got to feed a goat.

So things are great here, thanking God everyday for all our wonderful blessings. I pray health over my babies this winter and healing for Tate. I wish you all the same.

Tate's 1st day of pre-k 4

Tate had his first day of preschool today. He was very excited and seemed to really enjoy going back to school and spending time with his friends. He has a great teacher which I am really excited about and glad he is getting to meet some new friends. It makes me sad that he is growing up so fast, he is getting so big. He is such an amazing boy and I can't wait to see what all he learns this year at school.

Seth is also getting very big. He is reminding me so much of Tate lately at his age. We went to the park today and to eat all by ourselves, well without our big brother. It was bitter sweet. But I know I am really going to enjoy the quality, alone time I will get to spend with Seth, especially at the age he is now, he is so fun to play with and is learning so much. They are so much fun to see together. I love watching how good Tate is with him and how much Seth loves to spend time with him. Just tonight at church Seth was sitting in Tate's lap at the end of choir. They can be so sweet to each other. They can also be pretty rough at times but hey they are boys. I feel so blessed to have them both. Getting excited for the fall, looking forward to see what God has in store this school year and at home with me and the boys.

Trip to San Fran

Well Jason and I went to San Francisco a few weeks ago. We had a great time but I missed the kids terribly. It was our first time away from them for that long. They did well and thanks to my sister and Memaw who took care of them for me while we were gone. We got the boys some karate outfits from Chinatown and I wanted to post some pictures of them trying to chop JP. They are adorable.

Scope

Tate's scope today went great. The Dr. said he is doing well, there is no compression and that we didn't need his services any longer (ENT). YEAH!!!!! Tate did well, the nurses and staff like having him for a patient, he is extremely laid back, he gets that from his daddy. He had some mild soreness when he woke up and wasn't too happy but he eventually came around, ate a really big breakfast and has played really well. He is napping now.

I am so extremely thankful for Children's Hospital but let me tell you I hate being there. Every fiber in my being screams that we don't belong, I'm tired to being there and having Tate go through so much and yet I know it could be much worse. I guess at times like these it just compounds the sadness I feel for Tate and what he has to endure. I am watching and listening as a friend goes through grief and healing from a loss of a son and when I think of her and how much I hate for Tate to have to go the hospital and have all this stuff done to him, when I feel like for some things God can't relate, I do feel peace in knowing he does to the suffering and loss of a son. It fascinates me that through having children you can learn so much of God's love for us. And in the end I have nothing to complain about.

Tate's ENT appointment

Tate had a check-up today with his ENT and all his doctors are amazed at how well he is doing. We are very happy that Tate is growing, doing normal activities for his age and continuing to be a testament to God's goodness and healing. The Dr. wants to do a scope on Tate to see how he looks from his last surgery. We are scheduled for that on July the 1st at Children's. He is hoping that Tate's case can be a learning experience and provide information for future surgeries. For those of you who don't remember Tate had compression from his first surgery that was causing him to have asthma symptoms and reoccurring pneumonia. I am thankful that his surgeon took the time to have an ENT come in to do a scope to find out what the problem was. Apparently with his repair his aorta was compressing his bronchial tubes which made them not work effectively. The Dr. then moved his aorta over a bit and was able to stop the compression. Since it has been over 6 months his ENT wants to take another look and make sure all looks well. So pray for Tate, it will be an outpatient procedure and shouldn't be too big of a deal or take too long. Tate is an amazing child, he continues to astound me on almost a daily basis. What a blessing he is.

Gulf Shores '09

We had a blast in Gulf Shores last week. Both the boys loved playing at the beach and we got to do all sorts of fun stuff. Tate even went parasailing with me and JP, can you believe it? He loved it, Caden did too. Hopefully my sister got some pics of that because I didn't have my camera. We got to swim in the pool they had there and they even had a playground at the condo. We took them to a little park where they got to ride rides and even drive go carts. The big boys got to play golf and go deep sea fishing (they had a blast and brought home lots of fish) and us girls got to go shopping, it was so fun and we got some great things. Amy and I took the boys to an alligator farm, it was fun and interesting but very hot, I was glad to get out of that place, they had a gigantic alligator whose name was Captain Crunch. The guide said he was in time out because he didn't play well with others. The boys thought that was funny, but he was isolated. Tate got a little alligator at the gift shop and named him "little crunch". Totally original my boy Tate is. Anyway, we had a great time, can't wait to do it again. Here are some pics.

White River '09

Well it was probably the most rainy weekend we have ever spent there but we still had fun. The boys got to fish a little bit but they didn't get to go out on the boat. Of course they loved playing in the water, including Seth. Did I mention the water is about 40 degrees there? Seth ran right into it, go figure. I'm really going to have to watch him in the water this summer. He is fearless. Anyway we had a good time but I'm glad to be home. Still trying to catch up on some sleep. Got to visit with some family. Thanks for the good time with the balloons Aunt Donna. They are still playing with them. Here are some pics. I can't wait until the boys get old enough to really enjoy fishing and spending time with their dads. Seth loves being outside.

Tate's 4th Birthday

Tate is 4!!!! Can you believe it? It is hard for me to imagine that it has been 4 years since he was born. Man the things we have gone through since his birth. Many blessing and many hardships. There is no way I would of thought of the plans God had for us with Tate's birth. He sure if full of surprises sometimes. Tate has been such a blessing and JP and I are so thankful to have him. He is doing so well and I'm so glad that he is a normal child that is able to do all the things 4 year olds get to do. Praise God.

His party was at Party Central which is a jump place for children. He loves going to parties there and insisted that he have his party there also. We had a blast. That place is so fun to play at and even the adults get to play too. All his friends had an awesome time and the parents did as well. Tate got lots of gifts and we feel so blessed to have such a great cloud of friends and family around us. Can't wait to see what God has in store for the next 4 years.

Enjoy the pictures.

T-ball, Tate and the Rockhounds

Hey gang, so I told you I would update the blog when Tate started t-ball and it has started. The practices so far weren't going very well. Tate cried the first practice, he seemed to be really tired. JP was giving me an "I told you so" look, he thinks we started him way to early while I think this is just the right time. It is a good thing for me too because I am getting to see how Tate does physically and even though I'm trying not to judge too quickly I don't see Tate playing sports in the future. Well ones that require much running and continuous exercise. He is the slowest one on the team and seems to need breaks pretty often. Of course what is good now is that he doesn't have to run very far and they don't care how slow you are. T-ball is a pretty fun activity to watch, they are adorable.

His first game went really well though. They were all excited to be in their uniforms and at the ballpark. He was the first one to bat and he did very well, they all did. He tends to lose focus so I'm glad he is the first batter. He likes to play in the dirt when he is on the field, doesn't really care much about catching a ball. There is also a train track that goes by right behind the field so that is entertaining for the kids to watch. I think he will be pretty athletic so I'm going to try and see if golf can interest him, eventually. Don't want to think about paying for that one.

We got him a heart guard and he likes to tell his friends to punch him in the heart, I don't find that very amusing, hopefully the newness of that will wear off soon. So we will try all the sports for now and see how he does. But like I said, I'm voting for golf.

AWANA Grand Prix '09

Last Sunday was our AWANA Race car night and Tate came in 4th place. He had so much fun, JP and I were so excited. I think Tate really enjoyed the attention but really didn't care if his car won or not. He was the youngest winner and represented the Cubbies well. YEAH Tate!!!

This is Tate with the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners.

The boys are doing well. Here are some random pics. Seth crawled up in Tate's lap to watch cartoons the other day, I thought it was so cute so I had to take a pic.

Tate is fixing to start T-ball very soon. Hopefully he will enjoy it and we won't hate all the time that we have to devote to practices and games. I'm starting to wonder if we started him too early. He is going to be playing sports for a long time. I hope this transition will be a good one.

Valentine's Day

I love going to parties for kids. Of course in a few years I probably won't be saying that anymore. But Tate had his preschool party last Friday and it was a blast. Sometimes I think we parents have just as much fun as the kids.

On Valentine's Day we went to the zoo as a family. It was a little chilly but we had a blast. Tate also got to go see a 3D IMAX movie with Caden and Mima and Papa Jim. We had a fun day.

Since Monday was a holiday JP decided to go to deer camp to set up a deer stand and Tate got to go with him. He was so excited, he even got up so early and didn't complain at all. He had a blast and even got to shoot a pistol with his Papa Roy. (I wasn't so happy about that but I'm sure they were safe :) ) I think my Tate is definitely going to be a deer hunter.

Poor little Tate

Why does every little thing happen to Tate? The poor guy had an allergic reaction to his antibiotic this weekend. It was horrible. His rash was so bad, he looked awful. It is finally getting better after 4 days. Needless to say he is allergic to penicillin.

JP and I were so amazed at Tate's attitude. He never complains. He would tell me every once in a while that he was itching and to put some medicine on it but other than that nothing. JP was putting medicine on him one night before bed and he told Tate that he was so sorry that he had this awful rash that hurt him and Tate told him "it's okay daddy, don't be sad". He really is a tough little guy.

Tate hasn't gotten up yet this morning so I'm hoping that it is pretty much gone and won't be bothering him anymore.

Seth's 1st haircut

Well today we went for Seth's very first haircut. It was great. He did so good, just sat there and watched everything. Nothing like Tate's complete meltdown when he first got his cut. He looks so much like a little boy. I was sad looking at him today, he is growing so fast and getting so big. It still amazes me how much time can fly by. Tate will be 4 soon, I just can't believe it.

Everyone is doing well. Tate hasn't been sick at all since his surgery. I hope it stays that way but since Amy's boys are sick mine will probably be next.

We also took a field trip to the library today. They got to hear some stories and make a dragon as a craft. What fun it can be with little ones. I love the time I spend with my boys.

Well the new year has started and I'm ready for it. Tate started preschool again today so we had to get out in the pouring rain. He wasn't happy when I had to wake him up. He is so much like me in that way. We both love our sleep. But he seems to always lighten up when he sees his baby brother up and ready to play with him. It is so sweet to see how much they love each other. Seth can be in a totally awful mood and he will see Tate and light up. He can even say Tate now.

Seth still isn't walking, won't even try but he is growing so big. He has been playing with the rocking horse, dancing to the song it sings, "I'm a pretty pony, clippty clop, clippty clop". He loves to make the horse sing and to ride him. Of course Cole also plays with anything that has music. He carries this car around that says "Who let the dogs out" it is fun at first but can get pretty annoying. He is also telling Seth no now. I couldn't believe it but sure enough this morning he was telling Seth no, no. I guess Amy's boys will always be the boss of mine, ha ha.

The boys are growing so fast. Seth is such a sweet boy. Loves all over me. Sometimes it still surprises me that they both belong to me. Such blessings.

So I'm really looking forward to this year with my guys. I pray it is a good one.