Two & a Half.

Call me crazy, but we could really use something to celebrate these days...so why not a half birthday?

Liam turned 2 1/2 today!!

We had a little mini celebration with my parents, with half a cake and a small gift. Liam had a great time and we all had a great day! 

Can't believe my baby is halfway to 3!!

Happy 2 1/2, Liam!!

Running the Rails

Liam is completely obsessed with trains-- it started as a general affinity for all trains, but quickly, he turned into Thomas fanatic.

We have Thomas trains. Books. Underwear. Cups. Shaving Kits. Toys, toys, toys. And while I hate character shirts, the look on his face when I gave him one was totally worth it. (I don't let him wear it out of the house unless it's underneath something!)

We're lucky to have a really active railroad system in Birmingham-- in fact, our house backs up to a track, and we love to take Liam out on our back deck and watch the trains go by. This weekend, the weather was gorgeous and for the first time in well over a month, no one was sick!!

This weekend, instead of making a trip to the zoo (our go-to nice day activity), we decided to take the kids down to the Peanut Depot to get a bag of hot roasted peanuts. We sat on the curb and ate them, the way I used to with my dad and gradddad.

(And no, I don't willingly give Liam Dr. Pepper to drink-- but occasionally, when picks ours up, I'll let him have a sip. I always tell him it's his "special treat.")

 When we were done, we climbed up on the tracks that separate the south from the north side of town and let the boys run. And run. And run. A train came by about every 10 minutes, and since there are about 6 tracks together, we could just move over and let the boys watch it go by.

They were (filthy &) in heaven.

 

It's the little things, you know?

Easter Pics

Smocked jon jons, peter pan collars & knee socks... Oh My!

 Last year, the boys had their pics taken with a live bunny at school-- but I dreamed of having "real" Easter portraits done. I felt like Jack was too little last year, so we put it off... and I didn't think about it again, until our photographer emailed me a few weeks ago to let me know that she was doing some Easter mini sessions with chicks, bunnies and a lamb and wanted to know if I was interested. Ummm, yeah!

The boys are at an age where they won't really pose-- but they were so sweet and cute with the animals & I'm SO glad we did this session. These are some of the shots I took-- I can't wait to see what Lauren got!!

 

It's rare that the boys get super dressed up, but when they do, I melt into a big old puddle of southern mommy.

Last year, we bought these sweet matching baby blue gingham jon jons with smocked bunnies (complete with pom pom tails!) and the boys wore them for Easter. I'm pretty good about buying outfits after the holidays (for 50%+ off!) and putting them up for the next year-- but for some reason, last year I didn't. 

Not wanting to spend a ton of money on new outfits, I crossed my fingers and tried these on the boys last week. Miraculously, they fit even better now than they did last year! You'll laugh-- at 16 months old, Jack is rocking a 3m size jon jon and Liam, at almost 2 1/2, fits perfectly into his 18m size! It can be tough for me to fit them sometimes, but (short) jon jons work so well for us, because there's no waist and I don't have to worry about the length.

I need to find a new pair of shoes for Liam (poor kid squeezed into a pair two sizes too small for these pics), but other than that, we're ready for Easter!

Sorry for the Silence

We have been so very sick-- in a funk that has been so difficult to get out of.

This has been a particularly difficult winter for us-- we have caught every. single. germ. within a 100 mile radius. Every time we get well, one of us comes down with something new, which then passes between the kids and I. Rob miraculously never catches anything!

About 4 weeks ago, we were hit with the stomach bug, AGAIN. This was the 3rd time since Thanksgiving. It started with Jack, moved to Liam, then to me.

We got well.

Then Liam came down with a fever-- about 104, and it lingered for days and days, so we took him to the doctor. Ear infection. He was out of school for a week.

A few days later, I came down with congestion, glands so swollen I could hardly turn my neck, ear pain, etc. All signs pointed to a sinus infection, but my trip to the doc-in-the-box handed me a diagnosis of walking pneumonia (confirmed by a blood test). I got a z-pack, took it and started to feel better.... but then a few days later, it came back with a vengeance. Another trip back to the doctor confirmed that I reinfected myself because I didn't toss my toothbrush the week before. The doctor suggested using a new toothbrush every single day for the next week. 10 more days of antibiotics. 

In the middle of that, Jack came down with a nasty cough & a 102 fever. Knowing what germs have been floating around our house, I took him to the doctor immediately. He was diagnosed with a viral upper respiratory infection which we just had to wait out... but the doctor was concerned about some wheezing he heard. We did a nebulizer treatment in the office (horrible) and we're going to keep an eye on it. I have asthma and it is possible that Jack could have it too.

And in the middle of THAT, I started having some trouble breathing & chest pain & tightness. Back to the doctor. Chest xray (clear), antibiotic injection, steroid injection, 2 breathing treatments and an inhaler later, I finally got to go home.

We're starting to feel a little better... but we're not there yet. We are so ready for spring: Warm weather, sunshine and wellness!!

Hopefully, I'll be back to posting on a regular basis soon!