Merry Christmas?

Note: This post is not meant to be a downer. It may sound like it, but it's more or less interesting to us this Christmas Eve.

Today is Christmas Eve, right??

I was supposed to go to work this morning until early afternoon. I got up at 5:15 am and showered and proceeded to get ready like normal. Until... I got the phone call. It was my co-worker who proceeded to tell me that I didn't have to come to work. Apparently the tissue processor didn't start. Yes, it was my job to start it. I take full blame! I thought that I started it, but when Jeanne came in it wasn't processed. We'll have to figured out what happened next week. Through further discussion with "The Boss" she decided to start the 12 hour process because there were some specimens that a doctor was waiting for some results. It was determined that either sometime tonight or tomorrow morning the work needed to be done.

At about 8:30 my mom called and said that we should postpone Christmas Eve festivities until later this weekend due to the weather on its way. I was in agreeance because I really didn't want anyone traveling that didn't have to.

At 12:30 I talked with my co-worker who had been at work all morning, unlike me. I explained to her that I no longer had any commitments tonight and told her not to stick around (as she lives 20 minutes out of town) and I would come in tonight and start the work. Whatever I didn't get done I would do in the morning, since the pathologist was going to be coming in to read out those cases. After all, it was sort of my doing, and really I should clean up my own mess.

So, here I am in lounge wear, the boys have their after nap snack. Kevin doing sound for the Christmas Eve services, and knowing that I won't have a special meal of oyster stew tonight, but instead going to work (in which we don't do pm's, night's, holiday's, or weekends) to do my job.

It just doesn't seem like Christmas. At least not yet. Did I tell you that I don't have any presents wrapped and under the tree either. My nativity never made it up, and the Christmas cards are stuffed and stamped but waiting to be licked and sent out.

We did get to spend the morning with one of Kevin's good friends, Andrew. So that was a perk to our somewhat "normal" day. I wouldn't have had the opportunity to see him if plans would have went as scheduled, so I am grateful for the pancakes and sausage we enjoyed with our strong coffee.

I really don't know if I want to remember Christmas 2009, but no doubt it will probably be one in which I won't be able to forget. I do that there is a reason for all of this. I may not know what it is for a while, but whatever the Big Man has planned is truly far better then the one that I had planned. My saying today has been "whatever." It didn't matter before, so now I really don't have an opinion on what should happen next.

Tomorrow is a new day! Jesus' Birthday! The day our Saviour was born! I'm so thankful that God knows what's best for us, even when we think it couldn't be. That's what happened to Mary. Plus there is special joy knowing that like her I'm carrying our third baby in anticipation of what will come in the next few months.

Thankfully I really am NOT in control, and can count on knowing who is and be blessed in unusual and unexpected ways.

For Auntie Jill...

The boys enjoyed watching the Grinch on TV the other week.

For those of you that don't know, Jill is a BIG fan of watching the Grinch at Christmas time. She texted all of us in the family to remind us that it was on television that night along with the time and channel it was on. I really wouldn't have known otherwise, so it was good to have that reminder!

Look And See...

I'm going to be a mommy of 3!!!!

That's right! This is practice for what Harrison and Emmett are going to be in store for. My friend Cass lent Harrison one of their babies and the boys have been loving playing with what was Baby Jesus in the Christmas program at church. Harrison has known for a while and will tell people that "Mommy has a baby in her tummy." In fact he told my mom that when he stayed with her after Thanksgiving, to which she said, "NOOOOO!" The next day I had him tell her that he was right.

I have had my new ticker to the right for a couple days now, waiting to see if anyone would casually notice it. Jenny did, but she did know prior to the blog that I was indeed pregnant. I know she has been waiting patiently with her lips tightly sealed with this secret information. So... this is it, Jenny. Tell whomever you wish! Our secret is officially out!

Oh yeah... I am due July 2nd. I was able to hear the heartbeat this week at my doctor's appointment, and everything sounded great! Definitely a sigh of relief when you hear that little thump, thump, thump. I have felt completely different this time around, so naturally everyone thinks it's a girl. My doctor did inform me that I have a 70% chance of having another boy, since I have 2 boys in a row. Whatever the gender, we will be completely happy with what God gives us, being this was His plan and all. And no, we probably won't be finding out, since we never have before, and love the surprise at the end.

Make sure to check back often and see how things are going in our preparation for zone defense!

My Fun Boys...

I just had to update you with a few pictures of the boys!

They really are a blast to be with (most times - we all have our moments of weakness). I'm sure that once I start working on a more regular basis my time with them will be even more fun too.

Emmett is a ham and when the camera is out, he tries to be as close to it as possible.

Again, the boys wrestling on the floor. They take their turns (unknowingly) taking the other one down. I do think Emmett is mostly on top though.

Harrison is my talker! He loves to be on the phone, and does a pretty good job holding a conversation. You know when he's done because he starts getting silly and talking in Chinese.

And yes, he was talking to Grandma Jeanne in this specific picture.


There you have it. I'm sure I'll have more updates for you soon!

Finger in a Light Socket??

Sadly this picture was taken over a month ago. Can anyone guess why Emmett's hair is so messy????

This was the day that Emmett had his EEG done in Fargo.

He had 26 electrodes taped to his head for 1.5 hours. Well 45 minutes getting them on, 35 minutes of testing, and 10 minutes getting them off and the gel out of his hair. The worst part for him was getting the electrodes out of his hair because the tape would pull those little strands, and we all know how much that hurts. And then getting the gel out just made an Einstein type hair do. I did put the hood up on his sweater when we left because I didn't want people to think he was shocked or something. If you look closely you can see black marker between his eyes from measuring where the electrodes were to go. Yes, there was black marker for every electrode on his head too.

It did take him about a week to get back on a normal napping schedule, but more than anything we were very thankful that we didn't have anything to worry about.

Emmett did just have his 18 month check up and is doing fabulously! He's nearing 28 pounds, and 30 something (I don't remember what the nurse said at all) inches. Across the board he is in the 60th percentile for everything. Obviously a different build than his brother. We love their differences though, and enjoy each one differently!

What I'm Thankful for...

Man, where would a mom start...?

One thing is for sure, I'm very thankful for these 3 boys being in my life!

I'm thankful for...

Our good health,

Family and Friends,

The sun coming up every day,

The beautiful dusting of snow on the ground,

House, food, clothing, jobs,

AND...

Jesus' gift of eternal life!!!

The list could go on and on.

Really there is nothing that I have to complain about.

Sure I would like to think that some days are worse than others,

but really when it come down to it, it really is something small

and not worth getting anxious or worried about.

As the holiday season nears, I am reminded of what

matters the most, and look forward to what we really

are celebrating each year at this time.

I hope that each one of you can enjoy this Thanksgiving and be

thankful for what is most important in your life.

On the Floor...

At the most interesting times, these two will lay on the floor together, or on top of each other. Nicely, I might add. This day Emmett was pretending to sleep on the floor, so Harrison decided to join him. I'm pretty sure I was making supper at the time, and was happy that they weren't whining and pulling on my leg.

Notice that I can't remember what I was doing because the pictures that I just took off my camera are from a month ago. I don't really like to admit that, but I guess it shows just how busy we've/I've been this month.

Just know that now I have a plethora of pictures to choose from to update you with over the next couple weeks!

Little Farm Boy...

Kevin's family does some farming in the area, and the past few weekends we have managed to make it out to the field and burn some energy.

Today, Harrison got to ride with cousin Ryan in the tractor, and accomplished the role of grain cart men. Harrison was so proud of being able to ride "all by myself," meaning without Kevin coming with.

With the supped up cell package that Kevin just entered us into, he took a picture to commemorate the day and emailed it to me. I couldn't help but finally update the blog with a new picture.

Harrison can't help but be extremely silly in fun situations like this, hence the squished nose.

Thanks Ryan for the super fun morning that Harrison had with you being co-pilot! He can't stop talking about it!

Totally Slacking...

I know. I'm totally slacking!

I have pics on my camera waiting to get

onto my computer, but haven't

got to that point yet.

Imagine that!

Maybe this weekend. We'll see!

FYI - this slacking off will more than

likely be continuing due to me working

more covering a maternity leave

at the hospital this winter.

Just thought I'd give you a fair warning.

I have been working a little more lately

due to people trying to get some time off

before my co-worker has her baby.

Since I'm the only back-up person, it

leaves little room for taking time off later.

NORMAL!!

I got a call late this morning from a nurse here at the clinic saying they got Emmett's EEG report faxed in saying the recorded information is NORMAL!!

Emmett wasn't able to make it the full 45 minutes, but our doctor here is fine with the normal report and aren't going through with an EEG with sedation. Whew!

Thanks again for all of you that have been praying for Emmett and us these past couple weeks! It has been comforting to know that we were being lifted up, knowing that He was taking care of everything for us! THANKS AGAIN!

A Couple Little Projects...

I've had these pictures hanging out on my computer for a little while. But I'm trying to save stuff, so then I have a post to share every few days.

Stinky finally has a new friend! Radish the Raccoon was made a couple Sunday's ago while the boys napped. This isn't the best picture, and it's hard to see, but he turned out pretty cute! Radish wasn't the name that we picked, but what the pattern called him.

I also was challenging myself to make a sweater for Emmett. I found some cute yarn at the store in town, and finished it a few weeks ago as well. I had been waiting to find some buttons for the top. It really was easy, and I definitely learned a lot. Now I know how to do it better next time (whenever that happens).
There was a Girls Night/Project Night at church last week, and I was able to attempt a pair of mittens for Harrison that I promised to make way back during the summer. I finished one that night, and then the other one the next day. Harrison was so surprised when I pulled the one out of my bag on Saturday morning. And then even more excited when I finished the other while he was napping that day. I am going to wash them because they are a little big for him. I tried to get some pictures of them, but Emmett was too interested in them that he kept taking them away.
Now I need to figure out what to do next. Scary that I don't already know and have the stuff for it. Oh well.

My 3 Boys...

Lately I've been finding these 3 snuggled up together on the couch.

These pictures were taken on 2 different occasions.

I know that these 3 will have a great time in all the years to come!

Update on Emmett...

For those of you that are unknown to what happened I'll be starting from the beginning.

On Tuesday morning Emmett had a very mild seizure at home while we were getting ready to go to Bible Study. He didn't loose consiousness and didn't have any convulsions. Basically he lost all focus (meaning his eyes were rolling around alot), and wasn't responsive (not talking and seemed to not hear anything). He was lethargic (droopy and weak). Not knowing what was happening I called 911. And then proceeded to call Kevin and have him come home. The paramedics came and took Emmett and I to the hospital, Kevin came home as we were walking out the door, so he took Harrison with him. By this time he was more alert but weak, tired and pale in color.

They ran a CBC, blood glucose, and influenza test - which all came back normal or negative. They wanted to rule out that he didn't have an infection going on somewhere that we were unaware of. A child is more likely to have a seizure due to an illness or high fever, but Emmett didn't have either. The doctor there referred him to his pediatrician for follow-up. He was released to go home by 11 that morning, and was pretty much back to his normal feisty self, running and playing. He did take a little longer nap, which is normal for someone who's had a seizure.

His follow-up appointment happened this morning (Thursday). His doctor wasn't concerned about him and the seizure, but since he didn't have a fever or other illness, or head injury in the past couple days when he had the seizure, he scheduled an appointment in Fargo to have an EEG done. This checks the electrical current in the brain to make sure that he isn't having unknown seizures or abnormal brain activity that would have caused this to happen. The EEG will be happening Oct. 29th.

Dr. Magnuson isn't expecting the results to be abnormal, but in case if they are then they would consider doing a CT or MRI scan to be more thorough.

Had he not had a seizure, he would've been acting like our normal 17 month old by the time we were eating lunch on Tuesday. We trust that God is completely in control of this situation. I will admitt that I'm still nervous, but not scared about this. We just know that there are no clear cut answers at this time, but will come with time and need to be patient. The only thing that we need to do right now is observe him, and if he does come down with a fever or anything, treat with Motrin or Tylenol to keep his temp down. High fevers are what usually cause a child to have a seizure, and are not of much concern.

We ask that you continue to pray for Emmett and us as we are unsure of what will transpire. Obviously we pray that he would have a completely normal EEG and that there would be no signs of abnormalities, and also that he wouldn't have another seizure in the future.

I hope this helps some of you know what has happened and that we all are on the same page. I just don't want anyone to get false information about what happened and then continue to tell that to others. I would hate to have you believing something that didn't actually happen.

Please feel free to ask questions, and I'll try my best to answer them for you.

Beloved Little Boys!

What else can I say. I just love these two boys!

I'm sure there are a few others out there that would agree with me too!

Just Because...

Harrison has had his fair share of space on the blog lately, so I thought I would throw in a slightly odd looking picture of Emmett. He just can't help himself, and comes full speed at you when the camera is out. There is no getting around it, no matter how I've tried. Anyways, this was as good as it got the other day.

Dino Jammie Boy

This picture is for my brother Josh who got this pair of jammies for Harrison for his birthday!

It is the cutest set, and the slippers really complete the whole ensemble!

Harrison couldn't wait to get them on after they had been washed.

The Birthday Bash...

We had a great time celebrating Harrison's birthday this weekend!

Here are some of the highlights.

A trike, that is similar to a Big Wheels (anyone from the late 80's remember those).

Lots of fun new clothes - much needed!

Schnazy new undies that will hopefully be used (the right way) in the next few months!


Brannan the bear. He is a best friend right now!

And of coarse the yummy meal that mommy made. Swedish meatballs, mashed potatoes, scalloped corn, mac-n-cheese (requested) and primary colored cake!

Harrison had a great time having our family over, and is still talking about it!

Thanks everyone for coming and celebrating the big 3 with us!

Today's the DAY!!!

Our little boy is 3 today!

Only 2 Days Left

Seriously... where does the time go??

I can't believe that it is just 2 days - okay, less than 48 hours until Harrison's big 3rd Birthday! And let me tell you, he is nothing more than thrilled to be turning 3! For the past 3 weeks he has been asking, "Today my birfday?" And then I would need to try and turn him down gently because he wasn't taking it too well that it wasn't his birthday that day. He has grown patient and now asks when his birthday is. He gave me a big surprise face when I told him it was only 2 days away! And only 3 days until his party - which is what he's been asking about mostly.

Do we have a gift for our almost 3 year old yet? Nope. So far we haven't really gotten anything for our kids on their birthday. I guess maybe we consider the roof over their heads good enough, but even so, sometimes I feel like something wrapped from us would be a good memory. Especially considering he remembers things that have happened months ago!

What have the rest of you been doing for your kids on their birthdays?? I'm curious to know if I'm the only parent that doesn't give a gift to my kids on their birthday's.

Maybe wrapping a necessity will be okay - like the 4T clothes that he is in desperate need of. I wish I would have gotten some clothes this size for his baby shower! It is much more fun getting something small and snugly though, I hear you!

On a different note, I'm thrilled that my post about stinky got y'all thinking about babies - which we aren't having one in the near future. But with everyone announcing and giving birth, I knew you would be susceptible to that kind of wording - sorry. Admit it, it's fun to pull little pranks like that on people.

I'm still waiting to see what I come up with for a meal and such for the party, so I suppose I better get to planning some of those details too. All Harrison has requested is Mac-n-cheese - which I probably will oblige to, but what to go with it, I'm not sure. Any help in that category is welcome too!

Have a great rest of the week!

Out Like a Light...

I always find it amazing how these boys can sleep in such crazy positions!

This was during a nap one day. He woke up very cranky and I'm sure it was from a sore neck.

Did I Forget to Tell You???

Harrison is so proud to show you the newest member of our family!

Baby Stinky - the skunk!

What?? Were you expecting a different sort of announcement?

Sorry. I know, sick joke.

I found a cute knitting pattern for this fuzzy little skunk. His tail is too long and next time I will be making it half the length, but the pattern said... Anyways, he has really had quite the fun with Stinky. Now I need to make the raccoon for Emmett, so he doesn't keep getting in trouble with Harrison for taking Stinky. However, the raccoon will probably end up being Harrison's too if I have any sort of brain to think about this.

The Student...

On September 13th Harrison went to his first day of Sunday School! Here's the big boy before we left the house. He was so excited to go, and so was I.

He absolutely loved it! It is so nice that Kevin's cousin is his teacher, so we are already well acquainted. We heard that there was alot of singing on his part - apparently we have an entertainer on our hands. Unfortunately he had to miss last week due to a cold, but will be back this Sunday for more.

(LaShawn - Harrison was ecstatic to get the picture to color from SS yesterday. I told him what the picture was and he talked about it all day!)

Just a Typical Day...

Can you tell what we are learning alot about right now?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Harrison's song is pretty appropriate for what happens alot in this video.

Brother Mania...

It is often interesting with two little boys in the house.

They really are starting to play well together

and also wrestle, like brothers should.

Thankfully, it goes both ways!

Emmett takes down Harrison...

Then, Harrison lays on Emmett's back when he's trying to get away.

Either way they are spending time with each other.

Sometimes it results in screams, yelling, giggles or tears.

You never know which it is going to be.

This time... smiles!

In the Yard...

Our yard is not big by any means. But the boys certainly do love being outside and in the yard. We had a great time enjoying what will probably be one of the last nice days of summer.

.

Oh how I could eat this little boy up!

And this big boy is always making me laugh! What a sense of humor!

They do have alot of fun together, but also moments of anger and frustration.

We happen to have a fake birch tree in our back yard. When I was walking around it something startled me and gave me a little jump. Can you see it???

There on the bark was an exoskeleton of what looks like a bumble-bee. However, I don't think this could be true. I haven't ever heard of bees shedding their exoskeleton. I was quite huge, about an inch in length. When I showed it to Harrison, he was not interested in getting close to it at all - thankfully. It made my skin crawl thinking about what came out of it.

.

Nothing like a little nature walk right in our own backyard!

Up on 2...

Since I haven't blogged in a while, I forget that pictures are uploading backwards.

We had some fun playing in the yard the other day when the weather was beautiful and perfect. I can't remember what Harrison was talking about here, but something important obviously.

Emmett is totally walking now. Everywhere. And loving it.

I thought that he was pretty happy, until he started getting around on his 2 legs, then saw how really happy he was. Of coarse he loves just walking without having a purpose to where he is going. Even in the last few days his arms have come down a lot, and he is carrying stuff everywhere. His balance is really good, and can withstand a brushing off of Harrison.

His feet only fit into Crocs, they are too thick for real shoes, unless I get 2 sizes too big, but then they can't walk in them. I think we will be doing the leather slippers this fall until the flatten out a little bit.

Food Stuff

I'm still not sure what it is about the kitchen, but the boys love being in there playing with my gadgets. The salad spinner is a HUGE hit!

And what is it about messy faces that are so cute to me?
Emmett is the dipper in the family. Harrison was never interested in ketchup, or anything that was to be dipped in. Plain is his game! Emmett though is totally opposite and will eat anything that can be dipped. I do believe that this is more normal.

Do you like the pizza sauce eyebrows??

Messy really drives Kevin crazy. So I usually end up doing this at lunch time when he isn't home. Spare him the cringing from stuff every where. How else are they going to learn, right??

Being Thrown Off...

So where in the world have we been??

You may be asking yourself this, but some may not either.

I've totally been thrown off schedule!

I wasn't even aware that this was the case until I had been talking to a friend about how I am feeling "off" lately. (No needing to worry, I'm a totally scheduled person and when my day is off, I'm a little off.)

You can tell that my last post was a number of weeks ago. Shortly after that, Emmett decided that it was officially time to go to one nap a day. Something that I've been waiting for, but not realizing that this would be a major mix-up to my day. Due to the fact that he was no longer napping in the morning, I also didn't get my time doing things at the computer like I did for the last year or so. The frustrating part is that I still haven't found a time in my day to do it. While the boys nap in the afternoon I have much more important things that I attend to - my quiet time, reading God's Word. This is far to much of an important thing for me to give up, or try to switch. This has worked for the last year, and we all know that when we don't get that time, the rest of the day doesn't seem to go right. So I do not mess with this "scheduled" activity. I have tried getting on the computer after my quiet time, but once the fingers hit the keys, four little eyes have a way of popping open in a flash. Then I get frustrated for not finishing what I set out to do.

So, I do have some figuring out to do with when I'm going to download pictures to my computer, and then upload them to the blog. (No, I haven't even been able to get pictures to the computer yet. Otherwise I would have posted some new pictures.)

In other news, Emmett is officially walking and is spending much more time toddling around during the day. It's about time, but I also wasn't rushing it either. With it coming much later, it also required less of me holding his hands learning to walk.

In recap, I don't know when I'll be posting pictures yet, and who knows when I'll be popping back on to write either. But thankfully, I had this moment to let you know that we haven't forgot about you fellow bloggers!

Mett Mett

Thought you might enjoy some pics of the little boy!

Emmett really isn't the baby anymore. He loves doing everything just like his big brother.

I took these pictures while he was sitting on the couch next to Harrison, while having their afternoon snack.

Last week he finally accomplished an even number of teeth - with the grand total currently at 8!

He also started to be courageous enough to start taking some steps.

He's not into walking while holding your hands, at all. He prefers to just cruise along furniture.

Until last week he hadn't let go of something to take steps to anything thing, but now he is becoming a pro at it.

He really can go quite a ways before he looses his balance. Emmett is one of those kids who needs to know he can do it before he will even try. But once it is established then it all transpires quickly.

I would love to show you some walking footage, but our camera got left at the lake, twice since Sunday, so I guess I'll have to save it for another post.

The snackin' boys.

Obviously Emmett doesn't really care that anything is on the television, but Harrison is a little to engrossed to look up for his picture to be taken.

Only Words Can Describe (with a few pictures)...

This is one of those posts that words cannot describe in one simple phrase or line.

It is one of those posts that many of you just may not understand the importance.

Trust me, you will think I'm slightly crazy! But those that understand will be like, oh yeah.

Do I have your attention? Let's get started with this crazy post.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'm a foodie - to the core. There, I admit it.

My life doesn't totally revolve around food, but it probably goes in the order of:

1. God

2. Family

3. Food

That's right. What more can I say?

When I do find one of those spectacular places filled with an array of scrumptious food, I do dream of going back. Most times I wish that we had one here in our small town, but I know that is probably not going to happen, so I just have to enjoy it when I'm out of our little town.

Some places are known for certain types of food, or have a place unlike any other.

Fortunately for me (us), one of those dear little places makes kits and sends them around the world, none-the-less, for foodies like me who need to get a fix. This fix for me came 5.5 years after leaving this city.

I'll give you a hint:

Mexican American food in Grand Forks, North Dakota

Anyone who has lived there will be shouting an immediate answer and know what I'm about to tell those of you who have never experienced it before.

The Red Pepper

So, what is so fabulous about it?

There specialty is grinders. And for people like me, and many others, that can't drive to University Avenue to get one in a quick minute, we can have a kit overnighted to our door.

**Disclaimer: My in-laws were in GF, so we asked them very nicely to bring us one home. :)

This is what you get in a kit.

Hugo's buns (8 half buns)

Choice of meat (or all kinds if you are like me)

Cheese (both, again - me)

Special sauce

Red Pepper Hot Sauce

Lettuce

My mouth is watering all over again.

You slice open your fresh hoagie buns and layer the meat on.

Warm up your taco meat, and put your cheese on top.




Warm up the whole sandwich.

Add the lettuce, special sauce, and taco sauce.

This next picture is the kicker:

[ ]

Yeah, there is nothing left!

I dare you to go to the Red Pepper sometime, or order a kit if you can't get there in person like me.

I would love to hear your comments - especially those who have a heart like mine for this unique place, that has brought much joy to the students of UND and residents of GF, and well, pretty much all of North Dakota!