Happy (early) Easter!

Since Brenden and I will be in Colorado over Easter and this weekend is packed full of everything imaginable, we decided to have a little Easter party tonight. We all headed to Mike and Connie's for some pizza and egg hunting and dying. I wasn't sure how well Brenden would do with the cool colored water but he caught on quickly when we told him to drop the eggs in. Hunting for eggs was about the same. We weren't out the door 2 seconds when he spotted the first one and ran right at it. We didn't even have to tell him to search for them. We did have to coax him to let go of them to put them in the basket, but who can blame him...they were filled with money! (Quarters that is.) He found all 5 eggs in roughly 2 minutes so we all started sneaking eggs out of his basket and re-hiding them. Eventually he was tired of hunting so we went back inside for a very long game of chase. We're really hoping he sleeps well tonight!

Here he is, searching for eggs! Please ignore the random shots of my big booty...and the moment where Tim forgot he was filming and turned the camera sideways. :)


Here are a few pictures. You can tell he was intent on those eggs! There are some more pictures here. :)

And now it goes here!

Success!

He's not the center of attention or anything. :)

An "Awww!" Moment

Brenden is obsessed with vacuum cleaners. For Christmas this last year his great grandma Halter gave him a little toy vacuum and he loves it. He can figure out how to turn on any type of vacuum, even if I haven't yet figured it out myself.

Today I decided to vacuum out the lint in the dryer to see if it would help with the time it takes clothes to dry. Brenden was eating lunch and engrossed in an episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse so I thought I could get a little done before he tried to come back to help me. Not a minute after I started the vacuum up there was a pounding on the gate between the dryer and his playroom. I looked down, expecting to have to tell him that he needed to go back and eat or just play with his toys. Instead, I saw that he was smiling up at me, holding his own little, red vacuum up, offering to help. After smiling at him for a full 5 seconds and tearing up a bit, I opened the gate and let him help me. In that moment he was completely irresistible. (Not that he isn't usually, I was just so overcome by a case of the "awwws" that he could have had just about anything!) :)

It was a wonderful moment in an otherwise icky day. Hope everyone else's day was full of "awww" moments!

He's a stinker...and I love him!

Snow Day...I thought it was Spring?

The meteorologists kept saying it was going to snow. By Saturday morning I thought they were crazy. Three straight days of rain, and it didn't seem to be changing. And then...8:30 am rolled around. The rain sounded a little lighter and when I looked out the window it was mixed with snow. Not only that, but it was thundering. Weird! In 3 hours we had at least 4 inches of snow and it didn't stop until this evening. I think we probably have 7 to 8 inches on the ground. Brenden and I were supposed to go to a friend's wedding in Bartlesville, but that was completely ruined by the weather. We do want to send a congratulations out to Jen and Colt! I'm sure you're wedding was beautiful and we are so sad that we couldn't make it.

After a bit we were all feeling some cabin fever so Tim bundled up Brenden and we headed out to burn off some energy. We had a great time, but it was over too quickly. I hope everyone stayed warm!

The snow tickled!

He loves being outside.

HAHAHAHAHA!

Gotta try the snow covered slide!

Headed inside to get warm.

Happy Birthday Elaine!

A very happy birthday to Elaine! She is Rick's mom and is one of Brenden's adopted grandmas. Hope to see you soon!

Happy Birthday Mom!!!

Happy Happy Birthday to one of the most wonderful people I have the privilege to know! Thank you for being so amazing and become one of my best friends. We love you!

Gotta love a fruity drink!

But we don't love hot sake. (Thanks though, Mike!)

Chop, chop!

Singing Happy Birthday!

Tim, The "One Upper"

Ok, Tim isn't really a one upper. What's a one upper? Just watch Saturday Night Live. There is a sketch where a lady is constantly making things up to make herself "cooler" than everyone else. Example: "I just met Brad Pitt." The lady would say, "Brad Pitt and I are married, the Angelina Jolie thing is just a cover. He thinks she's ugly." Get it? :)

So why would I call Tim this? Last week we had to take Brenden to an Urgent Care center for his croup and a few days before that I had to go to the hospital to get an MRI for my finger. On Wednesday Tim called me to say that he needed me to come get him and that we had to get to the ER as soon as possible. His eyes had suddenly stopped focusing correctly and he was having double vision. I called his mom to come watch a sleeping Brenden and she picked Tim up on the way. We decided to head to Bailey Medial Center which is known for having only a 20 minute wait time. I was in no mood to wait for him to be seen. Before we made it there his vision had corrected itself but we were still going. This is when he informed me that he had been having vision problems for a long time now, as in a few years. Every once in awhile he would have difficulty seeing directly in the center of both eyes. He thought it was because he needed to eat. After a pretty nasty look in his direction I drove a little faster.

We got to the ER and within a few minutes we were called back and Tim was forced into one of those hot, sexy gowns. I'm sure the nurse giggled when I whistled at him. It wasn't much longer before the doctor arrived, took a look at his vitals, checked his eyes and told us that he thought Tim was experiencing Ocular Migraines. He still wanted to have an EKG, cat scan and x-ray done just to rule out seizures and a stroke. (I think I stopped breathing right about then.) After the doctor left we were both a little wary of his diagnosis. I have migraines and Tim has seen the incredible amount of pain they can produce.

"I only have a really small headache," he said.

Thankfully, our phones have Internet access and I googled ocular migraines. The page I found explained that they were usually painless, lasted from 5 to 20 minutes, and normally do not need treatment. I have never been so happy to have spent the money on this phone. The nurses were falling all over themselves to get Tim taken care of. (I really do recommend Bailey Medical Center) He had his blood drawn, an EKG, cat scan and x-ray all done within 30 minutes of arriving at the hospital.

Not long after Tim was brought back from his last test a teenager came in with a pretty bad hand injury. The doors were open so we could hear that he was fixing a saddle and had slipped with a box cutter. OUCH, right? It took them awhile to clean him up, numb it, stitch and bandage him so our wait to hear the tests results took awhile. Tim watched TV and I read so it really wasn't that big of a deal. That kid sounded like he needed help more than we did. I stuck my head out and told him I hoped he was OK and he told me it wasn't that bad. Uh huh...I gave birth and that sounded way worse.

His test results came back perfectly normal, or as normal as any Kelly man can be. (I had to say it! haha) He has a follow up appointment on Monday with a specialist and should be just fine. The doctor surprised us by explaining that he also has ocular migraines so he really knew what was going on. Then we found out both Mike, Tim's dad, and Rick, Karen's husband, have the same thing. It's nice to know that it's pretty common.

A big thank you to all our friends who contacted us to make sure Tim was OK. You kept me calm and Tim and I really appreciate it.

And now, for your viewing pleasure:

He'll kill me for posting this since he had no idea I took it. That's what you get for being a One Upper, Tim! :)

18 Month Check Up

We were back at the doctor's office AGAIN today for Brenden's well baby check up. After trying to play with a not-so-nice little girl in the waiting room (I swear I wanted to tell her off every time she tried to slap his hands away. Where the heck were her parents??) we headed back to see Dr. Mickle Monster. (it's her nickname, but she's totally awesome) First I had to explain to the nurse about his visit to the Urgent Care center last week for croup. He still has a cough and a runny nose but his fever is gone and he seems to feel OK. I also told them about his tongue biting incident, which I really didn't need to do since it's almost healed. For something that looked so awful it really healed quickly.

We stripped off his clothes and headed out to check his weight, where he stood on the scale all by himself. After his growth spurt he stopped eating so much, and combined with the fact that he's sick he's ended up back down at 27 lbs. I thought he felt a little lighter, but I was hoping I had gained some muscle in my arms. Oh well...

The next step was checking his length and measuring his head. He is now officially 33 1/4 inches tall (way too close to 3 feet, thanks) and his head is 19 1/2 inches around. GEEZ he's got a lot of brains! :) The doctor came in a few minutes later, checked his belly, nose, ears, and throat and asked me some questions about his development. Everything she asked me he has been doing for quite awhile, Tim told me I should have asked to move onto 2 year old developmental milestones, but since every parent likes to think their child is amazing and smart I think that would have been really over the top of me to do. :)

The one thing she discovered was that he has a double ear infection. WHAT?! I had no clue. He's been whining and grouchy but with a sore throat, a cough, and runny nose I expected that. We're back on antibiotics and have to check back to make sure it's cleared up in 10 days. Since he was sick and that is what caused it she wasn't concerned about the infections and thinks that he should be fine without tubes. (Thank goodness!)

Every check up brings a shot but luckily this time it was just a DTP and he was OK to get it as long as he had no fever. He tried to grab at the needle but that was the only problem we really had. He cried for just a little while and was totally fine by the time we got dressed and headed out the door.

Here are his percentages:

Weight - 27 lbs (60%) which is way down
Height - 33 1/4 inches (85%)
Head - 19 1/2 inches (97%)

He used to be fatter than he was tall, and now he's taller than he is fat. As long as he's healthy I really don't care. Now we just have to clear up this ear infection. Croup, a horribly bitten tongue, and an ear infection, all in one week. My goodness he's been busy.

And Update on Lanie Amaducci!

Lanie, my friend Leslie's baby, who was born 8 weeks early and SO small is doing wonderfully! She has officially started eating from a bottle and has dirtied her first diaper, which is amazing news since she has distended bowl. (Which seems to be healing very well.) She is 2 lbs 2 oz and the only hurdle she has left is to gain weight, then she can go home!

Leslie posted a video of her today and you can really see the changes just a little bit of weight has done for her. Such beautiful things happening to a beautiful family!

Reading Our Signs (Blog idea from Heather G...thanks!)

Tonight I am up trying to nurse my throat back to health. It feels as though my chest is on fire and like I tried to swallow razor blades. I do believe a trip to the doctor will be in my cards, soon. (And if I have strep, like it feels like I do, then Brenden will be getting checked as well!)

So while I sit here trying not to cringe, I'm going to steal a blog idea from our friend Heather. A blogger that she follows posted a link about astrology and what the stars say about you, you and your partner, and you and your children. I found hers to have some scarily accurate moments so I decided to see if it would work the same for my little family.

I used to be into astrology much more than I am now, I would read my horoscopes and felt that I followed the description of a Pisces almost exactly. But when Tim was deployed to Iraq I had a few days when reading my horoscope scared the beejeezus out of me. That's when I realized that I needed to distance myself, and from then on I never really got back into it. (I did the same thing with the news...which I refused to watch from day one of his deployment.) So let's see what this venture back in will tell us!

Tim and Me

You two are too nice for your own good, yielding at the slightest pressure and lacking the backbone to say "no" when it's needed. There's trouble brewing when neither parent can consistently be strong or enforce the rules. Each of you can make great strides in this area, both in parenting and in personal growth, and you and your family will be much happier and healthier because of it. The Libra mom or dad is gentle, fair, and diplomatic. You're the one to teach your children about conflict resolution -- after brushing up on it yourself! You make sure the home is peaceful and calm.

The sweet Pisces parent can spin stories and tell tales, enriching your kids' imagination. Your intuitive understanding and kindness helps the little ones confide in you. If you two can master the art of consistent discipline, your children will thrive in the firm yet loving environment you create.

Tim and Brenden

One of your primary concerns in life is harmony in your relationships, but your Virgo child is more interested in attaining perfection. Not nearly as gregarious and people-oriented as you are, he's most comfortable when surrounded by quiet, order, and routine, so it's best to establish a daily schedule for his meals and bedtime. This could be difficult for you, since you aren't as practical as your little Virgo. Efficiency matters less to you than friendliness and positive feelings.

Still, your love of peace and your little Virgo's need for order can dovetail nicely. Your child appreciates that you keep a pleasant, comfortable home. You, in turn, like the way he keeps his toys organized and, as he gets older, how he completes his chores in a timely manner. It should be easy for you and your child to get along and create a cozy home together.

Brenden and Me

Your Virgo child needs the structure of routine to stay centered, which can be a tall order for you. Your parenting style is more loose: You may not get dinner on the table at the same time every night or tuck your baby into bed at nine o'clock on the dot. For you, life is more about following your vivid imagination than sticking to a regular schedule. But your little Virgo isn't nearly so impetuous. This child responds best to grounded, practical influences and thrives on consistency.

Little Virgo can store up lots of nervous energy when he feels his world is too chaotic. If your child complains frequently of tummy aches or digestive problems, it's a sign that he's lacking that all-important firm, grounded base. The love you give your little Virgo is constant, of course, and he clings to that like a lifeline.

Just Brenden

Practicality and conscientious attention to detail are two of your Virgo child's foremost traits, even from an early age. You might find her organizing her toys or saving her allowance to buy some coveted item while other children spend their money on immediate gratification.

Your little Virgo isn't likely to be frivolous. Rather, she measures the pros and cons of a situation and goes with what makes the most sense. Virgo children have high standards and are naturally cautious, so they can seem picky or reserved, but this is simply because they prefer to stand back and assess a situation rather than throwing themselves into it.

Your Virgo child is a natural helper. She appreciates order and genuinely wants to pitch in and be of service to the family and, later, to the world -- a trait that should be commended and developed.

As the parent of a Virgo, you'll need to temper your child's expectation of perfection with the message that sometimes, good enough is just that -- good enough. Build up her confidence as much as you can, for your child is likely to be self-effacing and overly humble.

Help your little Virgo relax and enjoy the simple pleasures of life by getting outside into nature -- going swimming or for a long, meandering walk. Balanced meals, scheduled naps, and regular downtime will all be important for your Virgo child, who may tend to be rather fretful and anxious. Anything that promotes relaxation will help your child stay calm and centered.

So what do I think? Not so accurate. Looking back on it, I really think Brenden was meant to be a Libra, like Tim, just based on how the Parent/Child description for them both being Libras was explained. Am I missing something? Maybe since I'm not an outsider I can't see it. I actually hope that some of this was totally way of base and that I'm not the only one that sees that. Of course, it's astrology, and should be taken with a grain of salt...right? :)

Things I've Learned in the Last Week or So

The Happy List!

1. Birthdays no longer have to be a HUGE social event involving everyone I know and their long lost cousin who is in for the weekend. An afternoon spent building an outdoor toy, laughing at my son chasing bubbles, and eating super yummy food is much more enjoyable. Plus, no hangover. HA!

My mom's brownie sheet cake...absolutely the best!

Chasing bubbles!

How many men does it take to put a toy together?? hehe

2. $100 dollars and a chance to go shopping with just my mom makes me VERY happy! (a new book and shirt just add to the happiness!) Thanks, mom and dad!

And it's a series so I can ask for more!

3. A Coach purse and a pretty container full of the yummiest peanut butter balls ever make my day! Thanks, Mike and Connie!

Never in a million years did I think I'd have an actual one of these!

Be jealous...very jealous. :)

4. The Harry Potter game for the Wii is extremely addictive. I have to have at least 2 hours to commit to it. Thanks, Justin!

5. Jason Mraz tickets are NOTHING like getting a bowling ball with my husband's name on it, even if he's getting a ticket, too. Thanks, Tim!

6. Receiving extremely fresh flowers that not only look beautiful, but smell amazing, is fabulous! Thanks, Karen and Rick!

They smell soooo good!

I love these flowers.

7. Birthday cards in the mailbox always brighten my day! Thanks, Dan and Ginny, Grace and Jim, Ralph, Pat, Elaine and the OSU Alumni Association! hehe

8. Coupons can make great gifts! Thanks, Shelly!

9. Suffering for a day after eating the food at Casa Bonita is worth it. At least it is once every 10 years or so, which is just enough time to forget how bad it was previously. It's especially worth it when I get to watch Tim try to teach Brenden how to play Ski Ball.

He really didn't get the concept of "rolling".

He doesn't look happy here, but he loved this ride!

10. Sitting in an Urgent Care waiting room for 3 hours can pay off when the doctor gives your child medicine that is guaranteed to help in 4-6 hours. It's a bonus to get Arby's on the way home. What tops it all off? Having the sick toddler sleep in until 8:30 am and then ask "please" to go down for naps.

11. Having your son tell you he loves you, without being prompted, in front of other people, brings on the happy tears like nothing else can.

The Not-So-Happy List

1. Being woken up by a toddler with a cough like a seal barking is horrible...almost worse than an ear infection. I know how to help ear infections...I had no clue on how to deal with his seal barking or talking like an old woman who has smoked for 50 years.

2. Psycho mommies can fly off the handle about something as tiny as asking their daughter if she wants to remove a band aid that was falling off anyway. Offering their money back in hopes that they will leave may not always work. For some reason they enjoy torturing dance teachers.

3. Just when you think March has decided to be warm and sunny it changes it's mind and you wake up to sleet and freezing weather. MAKE UP YOUR MIND, MARCH!

4. Trying to convince a very sick toddler that sleeping is really the best thing to do, especially at midnight, is impossible without actually holding him. However, getting to enjoy snuggling with my son, who usually can't fall sleep if I'm even in the same room, was an unexpected bonus.

5. A tongue, when bitten, can bleed so much that you think that surely a tooth must be missing. Trying to convince a toddler to let you look in their mouth so you can confirm whether or not a tooth is missing is impossible.

It looked bad right after...

...but it looked worse the next day.

These are just the few things I could remember. Notice that my Happy list is much longer than my No-So-Happy list. I am very lucky and extremely thankful!

How could I feel unhappy with this crazy monkey making me smile?!?

Daylight Saving Time is NO FUN...

...and I am going to miss the extra hour of sleep tomorrow, especially since Brenden seems to like 6:30 am. URGH I wanted to post a few pictures from this weekend, which has already been crazy busy, because tomorrow we'll have a packed house. My parents, Tim's parents and my brother and his girlfriend are coming over to eat my mom's homemade fried rice, egg rolls (not homemade, but that's OK!), sushi, brownie sheet cake and drink some Asian beer to celebrate my birthday. I'm not sure how happy I am to be one year closer to 30, especially since I don't even feel like I'm 27. OK...I'm done whining. Onto the pictures!

Our Silly Child

Crawled into the hamper, flipped it over, couldn't get out. Laughed hysterically.

Snuggled with Barney Bunny on the way home from Oklahoma City.

Just HAD to find out what the dogs found so refreshing.

Has never met a stranger. I think he has about 30 sets of grandparents now.

Acted like he owned Amber and Tucker's apartment. (I only took one picture. I know Amber doesn't care, but I didn't know how comfy Tucker would be with my obsessive photography.) :)

Followed Delayna's boys everywhere, and had to do everything they were doing.


He cornered them in the closet. Thankfully they thought it was funny.


Sniffing the flower before handing it to mommy.


Our beautiful backyard is in bloom!

And last, but not least, God sent me daffodils for my birthday. Lovely!

And finally..."Grandma"!

We've been trying to get Brenden to say "grandma" since he started babbling. All three grandmas have repeated it to him endlessly in the hopes that he might murmur something that sounded even remotely close to it. And now, success!!! I think it's actually pretty clear. So there you go, grandmas! I hope you feel special now. You came just after "Romeo", "Riley", and "I don't know." hehe!

Cora's Playground

I'm stealing this from my friend Kristi's blog. I've been following this family's story as well and it has really made me appreciate the beautiful little boy that I have been blessed with.

From Kristi-

A few weeks ago I posted about a family who tragically lost their little girl to cancer. The family's dream is to build a playground in memory of their sweet daughter Cora. Recently over 50 Etsy shops banded together and are donating 100% of their profits to help build Cora's Playground. You can read more about this incredible movement here. Clicking the link above will take you to the Etsy shop.

Long Lines and Good Deals (A Weekend of Ups and Downs)

This weekend flip flopped back and forth between fun and exasperating so many times that it made my head spin. It was super busy and full of family activities, which is exactly what weekends should be.

Saturday started with another cleaning of the garage. I'm not sure how it happens, but every few months we realize that more things have migrated out there and now we can't find anything. Part of the problem is the fact that we are still trying to figure out how to maximize the 900 square feet we live in. My best idea so far: turning the dining room we only used ONCE since October into a playroom. It's fabulous to have our living room back! Since we had done a pretty thorough job of getting rid of all the unnecessary things we were storing in November, we really just had to put things in their place, which only took about 45 minutes. Yay for a clean garage! We also set up our computer in the front room and attached it to the TV. I never realized just how tiny the monitor was until I was reading my email on our 40 inch flatscreen. While getting everything cleaned up on our external harddrive, we encountered a bit of a problem. We're still not sure how, but we somehow lost every video I had taken of Brenden since he was born. I was crushed! Thankfully I have some of them saved online and we found a program to use to backup all of our information. A good lesson, but a hard one to learn.

That evening we were headed to Buffalo Wild Wings to celebrate my brother's birthday. My mom decided to come down early so she could check out glasses at Eyemart and she decided to tote Brenden along with her. They both had a great time and my mom found some pretty stylish glasses. After a nice long nap for Brenden we headed out. Even though our little boy was in a completely foul mood that night and refused to sit still or eat anything but ice cream, we had a great time. Brenden played with Meredith's nephew Cooper and ran around like a madman, flirting with girls and trying to wash dishes in the back. Hopefully being a dishwasher will only be something he pursues as a part time job in high school, not his lifelong ambition.

On Sunday Mike and Connie invited us to go to a consignment sale with them at the Expo Center, which is right down the street from our house, and my mom and Justin decided to come as well. I had heard about this consignment sale from a few people and I was really excited to go. Apparently I was the only person who knew exactly what the consignment sale was for because Mike and Connie were shocked to not see any fishing equipment whatsoever. (FYI: it was all baby things...hehe) We still found some amazing deals and walked away with a ton of summer clothes for Brenden and some toys. Our best find was a My First Leap Pad, with 5 books and a backpack, for only $20. The one thing we didn't find was a new stroller. Why would we need a new stroller? Well, remember my mom went to Eyemart the day before? Somehow after putting Brenden in the car she managed to drive off without it. I told her it was fine and that I was glad she didn't leave the baby, but she was still upset. I was pretty confident that the stroller was still at the store, and my mom was even more confident that someone had taken it and we would never find it.

One of his new toys...it neighs and makes clip-clop noises. He loves it!

His Leap Pad...already a pro.

He REALLY loves doing dishes. He pushed his car over so he could reach the sink!

Checking out at the sale took longer than shopping. The line wound from one side of the Expo Center, all the way back to the other side. The people pushing laundry baskets, empty strollers, and trash bags full of things were not at all happy. Truthfully I was impressed with the efficiency of the checkers. Once we made it to the front, around 40 minutes later, we were checked out in no time. With that amount of people buying that insane amount of things, 40 minutes was a miracle!

We headed back to the house to put away all the toys and wash all the clothes. My mom needed to get back so she could get dinner ready for my dad and on her way out the door we heard a loud BOOM! The glass in our front door fell out, all in one piece, and somehow managed to miss everyone's toes. I'm just glad that Brenden wasn't the one who opened the door. I'm sure it would have been a disaster. Tim toted the big piece of glass outside and was about to lean it against the garage when suddenly it shattered into a million pieces. When we rushed outside to help him, thinking he was probably cut into a million pieces as well, we found him laughing. The glass must have been tempered because the little pieces it broke into weren't jagged and Tim was just fine, although shocked. The funniest part was that we could still see the outline of Tim's foot in between the pieced of broken glass on the ground.

After a quick dinner that night at Taco Cabana, we decided to brave our Neighborhood Market Walmart. This is when we encountered the 2nd set of long lines of the day. I'm not sure why but checking out took almost as long as it did at the consignment sale. Tim eventually got into a self checkout line and got us out of there, and it wasn't a moment too soon. Brenden was definitely ready for bedtime.

Monday morning I woke up feeling like I had been hit by a truck. Nauseous, headache, dizzy, weak...it wasn't a great morning. Tim came home and let me stagger back to bed and my mom came that afternoon so that Tim could get back to work. She ended up taking Brenden back to Eyemart to pick up her glasses where, low and behold, they were holding the stroller for her. Even if they hadn't had her name on it, they would have known it was hers because Brenden made a beeline for it and started squealing. She was shocked they still had it, but I reminded her again that I had not been worried.

Cheap clothes and no broken toes...I'd call that a successful weekend.