P.S. If Matt was ever trying to deny Bradley as his son, he's screwed now, that kid looks JUST like him with his new haircut. I kind of love it. :)
Wednesday, January 27, 2016
Boys will be boys
I took the boys to get much-needed haircuts after work tonight. They both did awesome (I only had to bribe Ethan a little...) and they both look so handsome (and grown-up!) now. :) Then after bath time I pulled out the camera and had fun taking some B&W pictures of the boys just being boys.
P.S. If Matt was ever trying to deny Bradley as his son, he's screwed now, that kid looks JUST like him with his new haircut. I kind of love it. :)
P.S. If Matt was ever trying to deny Bradley as his son, he's screwed now, that kid looks JUST like him with his new haircut. I kind of love it. :)
Tuesday, January 26, 2016
Sunday Funday
This past Sunday was a great day. We didn't do anything fancy, but we got out of the house and hung out together and just had fun. The boys woke me up bright and early (typical) so I took advantage of the time to fully scrub down the house (kitchen, floors, bathrooms, etc.). Then around 10am I packed up the boys and we ran some errands around town before going to Hillcrest Park to play at the playground and blow off some stink.
After enjoying the fresh air outside, we headed to McDonald's for lunch. They have this awesome play area at the McDonald's in town (I know you're surprised I'm describing anything in Clovis as "awesome," right?? I think my standards for what is awesome has been affected over the last year...). Anyway, there is a great seating area and a huge play area, so Bradley and I could hang out, while Ethan ran all over the place having a good old time. And speaking of Bradley, that boy ate an entire cheeseburger all by himself! I am not kidding! He also had a cup of carrots, some french fries and a little bit of cookie. He's definitely a growing boy. :)
After all our fun at the playground and McDonald's, we headed home to take naps (yes, all three of us). The boys slept for 3 hours (amazingggg) and I slept for 2 hours (equally as awesome). When the boys woke up we did arts and crafts and made Daddy a homemade Valentine's Day card. It was just an awesome day all around. :)
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| One of Ethan's favorite things to draw is a train track :) |
Friday, January 15, 2016
The things that happen while your husband is away...
I have always heard it is inevitable that something bad will happen while your husband is away. Maybe your hot water heater bites the dust, maybe your transmission blows up, or maybe your almost 11 month old son gets admitted to the hospital. As you can probably guess, for me, it's the latter (although there is still time for those other awesome things to happen, too).
It all started Monday morning, when my Bradley woke up extremely congested. I kept him home that day, hoping a day of rest was all he needed. Well, by about 2pm Monday he had become feverish, with a 101.8 degree temperature. So off to Urgent Care we went where he was diagnosed with an upper respiratory infection and double ear infection. Tuesday he still had a fever so I kept a close eye on him, hoping the Amoxicillin would kick in and he'd start to perk up, but he didn't really.
Coincidentally, his 9 month check-up was scheduled for Wednesday morning (yes, his 9 month check-up was scheduled for when he was 10.5 months old...), anyway, so we went in bright and early to see his regular pediatrician. It was at that point his pediatrician noticed he was struggling to breathe and she admitted him to the hospital (so, see, it really was a blessing in disguise that his 9 month appointment was 1.5 months late!).
So off to the hospital we went Wednesday morning, and I am so glad we did. When we arrived his oxygen levels were low, so they immediately put him on oxygen. Then by the afternoon his fever climbed to 103.5. They confirmed he still had the double ear infection, as well as an infection in his eyes, so he was put on an IV for antibiotics, but they were unsure what was causing the struggle to breathe and chest congestion. They had to do cultures to determine that answer, which unfortunately takes about 48 hours to return results.
He seemed to be improving through the late afternoon, though, but at 7pm Wednesday night his fever spiked to 104, and all I could think the whole time was how thankful I was to be in the hospital and not at home alone. So with a litttle Motrin and some sleep that night, his fever tapered off and his oxygen levels began to improve.
Thursday morning we saw the doctor and were told we'd be staying at least another night until he had been fever-less for 24 hours and we had test results. That was definitely stressful news to hear, but I know it was the right decision. By Thursday afternoon his oxygen levels were back to normal and they removed his little oxygen tubes (yay!). He continued to improve throughout Thursday, but Thursday night his oxygen levels went back down and they had to put him back on oxygen (boo). They said that's normal for evenings, though, and sure enough by Friday morning his numbers were back up and he got to take the oxygen back off (whew!).
Finally, on Friday morning, the doctor came back with test results and a diagnosis. It turns out Bradley has Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) along with Rhinovirus (aka a common cold). The double whammy is what hit him so hard and put him in the hospital. The best news of all, though? After one more chest x-ray and another dose of antibiotics, the doctor said we get to go home tonight (as long as everything continues the way it's going). So fingers crossed my Bradley continues to improve and we get to sleep in our own beds, with Ethan(!) tonight!
And speaking of Ethan, you're probably wondering where he's been during all this fun at the hospital? Well thanks to some really amazing people, Ethan has been well taken care of the whole time. I know I have said this before and I'm sure I will say it again, but it truly does take a village, or in my case, an amazing Air Force family. Not only have they been there to take care of Ethan, they have also been here at the hospital bringing me food and giving me breaks to go home and shower. I just feel so very blessed to have such an amazing squadron because I absolutely don't know what I would do without them.
It all started Monday morning, when my Bradley woke up extremely congested. I kept him home that day, hoping a day of rest was all he needed. Well, by about 2pm Monday he had become feverish, with a 101.8 degree temperature. So off to Urgent Care we went where he was diagnosed with an upper respiratory infection and double ear infection. Tuesday he still had a fever so I kept a close eye on him, hoping the Amoxicillin would kick in and he'd start to perk up, but he didn't really.
Coincidentally, his 9 month check-up was scheduled for Wednesday morning (yes, his 9 month check-up was scheduled for when he was 10.5 months old...), anyway, so we went in bright and early to see his regular pediatrician. It was at that point his pediatrician noticed he was struggling to breathe and she admitted him to the hospital (so, see, it really was a blessing in disguise that his 9 month appointment was 1.5 months late!).
So off to the hospital we went Wednesday morning, and I am so glad we did. When we arrived his oxygen levels were low, so they immediately put him on oxygen. Then by the afternoon his fever climbed to 103.5. They confirmed he still had the double ear infection, as well as an infection in his eyes, so he was put on an IV for antibiotics, but they were unsure what was causing the struggle to breathe and chest congestion. They had to do cultures to determine that answer, which unfortunately takes about 48 hours to return results.
He seemed to be improving through the late afternoon, though, but at 7pm Wednesday night his fever spiked to 104, and all I could think the whole time was how thankful I was to be in the hospital and not at home alone. So with a litttle Motrin and some sleep that night, his fever tapered off and his oxygen levels began to improve.
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| Wednesday morning after he was admitted |
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My poor Bradley :(
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| Eating for the first time in awhile |
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| Thursday morning nap |
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| Smiles on Thursday :) |
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| More headstands, haha |
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| Friday morning, laying on top of my head... he did this himself and thought he was so funny |
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| I think someone wants to go outside |
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| "Mom, can we get out of this place already?" |
And speaking of Ethan, you're probably wondering where he's been during all this fun at the hospital? Well thanks to some really amazing people, Ethan has been well taken care of the whole time. I know I have said this before and I'm sure I will say it again, but it truly does take a village, or in my case, an amazing Air Force family. Not only have they been there to take care of Ethan, they have also been here at the hospital bringing me food and giving me breaks to go home and shower. I just feel so very blessed to have such an amazing squadron because I absolutely don't know what I would do without them.
Friday, January 8, 2016
A new year, time to blog again!
Ya know, some things in life just aren't meant to be blogged about. And that's all I'm gonna say about the last few months of 2015.
So 2016! Here we are! So far, so good. The boys and I, along with one of my best friends, Alexa, traveled home from Maryland on New Years Eve. It was a long and grueling day. We woke up at 5am, drove to the airport, checked in, went through security, waited for our flight, sat on the runway for an extra 45 minutes, took off, flew for 4 hours (a loooong 4 hours, mind you), landed in Albuquerque, loaded up the car with 6 huge pieces of luggage, grabbed a quick lunch in Albuquerque, drove 3.5 hours to Clovis, stopped at the grocery store (because the house was absolutely empty and the next day was a holiday) and finally, at 6pm (which felt like 8pm in our East Coast bodies), we made it home. Whew! What a day. Then we got home, let the kids stretch and just play with their toys, which they loved since they weren't stuck on our laps or strapped in a carseat, and we did a thorough house scrub down. See, while we were gone, there was a huge blizzard in Clovis (you might have heard of Blizzard Goliath?) and poor Beaker and Natty went 4 days without any food or water and they therefore ransacked our house. To say there was cat fur everywhere would be a huge huge understatement. So about 3-4 hours later we had cleaned the house, bathed the babies, put the babies to bed and finally sat down for the first time to eat and relax. Then, of course, we had to wrap about a dozen presents because I hadn't wrapped a single thing for the boys, but had told them Santa would come the first night they were back in Clovis. Silly me, I should have known better and given Santa at least an extra day to settle. Lol. Oh well! Needless to say, by midnight we actually forgot it was even New Years Eve, ha.
Other than that, the first week of 2016 has felt like a bit of a blur. I went back to work on January 4th, after taking 3 weeks off. Oh, yeah, that's a fun side story! I started a new job on November 16th. I worked a full week, then worked one day of the next week (thanks to Bradley coming down with Croupe, Thanksgiving and daycare being closed the day after Thanksgiving), then I worked 2 full weeks, followed by 3 weeks off (due to my trip back East that I scheduled prior to being hired). So for my first 7 weeks of work, I only actually worked 3 of them. Not my intention, but everyone has been very understanding so far. And I am loving my new job! It was absolutely the right decision for me to start working again. Some people are meant to be stay at home moms (or dads!), some people enjoy working from home, unfortunately, neither of those are good fits for me and that's just something I've learned over the last year. But, you don't know until you try. So fulltime work it is! And I am happy to do the work.
So what is my new job? I am the secretary for a Colonel on base. It is an awesome fit for so many reasons which include, in no particular order: 1) I love the kind of work I'm doing. 2) I am on base with the boys who are also on base at daycare (along with their pediatrician and my doctor, which makes any doctor's appointments super easy). 3) I am a GS employee now, which has great benefits (such as once you are in the GS employee system they favor you for other GS positions [i.e., when we move again, it will be easier for me to get another GS position on base]). 4) I am fulltime (as opposed to a lot of the hourly jobs I was considering out of desperation). 5) My boss is military and gets my life right now; he understands the constraints I am under and is sympathetic to them.
So that's 2016 for us so far. And I don't know why, but I have a feeling this year is going to be so much better than last year, because except for bringing my Bradley into the world, last year was rough. But I will say this, last year made me stronger and last year taught me life lessons that I will take with me (especially about being a military spouse). So bring it on, 2016, I am so ready for whatever you have to throw my way. <3
So 2016! Here we are! So far, so good. The boys and I, along with one of my best friends, Alexa, traveled home from Maryland on New Years Eve. It was a long and grueling day. We woke up at 5am, drove to the airport, checked in, went through security, waited for our flight, sat on the runway for an extra 45 minutes, took off, flew for 4 hours (a loooong 4 hours, mind you), landed in Albuquerque, loaded up the car with 6 huge pieces of luggage, grabbed a quick lunch in Albuquerque, drove 3.5 hours to Clovis, stopped at the grocery store (because the house was absolutely empty and the next day was a holiday) and finally, at 6pm (which felt like 8pm in our East Coast bodies), we made it home. Whew! What a day. Then we got home, let the kids stretch and just play with their toys, which they loved since they weren't stuck on our laps or strapped in a carseat, and we did a thorough house scrub down. See, while we were gone, there was a huge blizzard in Clovis (you might have heard of Blizzard Goliath?) and poor Beaker and Natty went 4 days without any food or water and they therefore ransacked our house. To say there was cat fur everywhere would be a huge huge understatement. So about 3-4 hours later we had cleaned the house, bathed the babies, put the babies to bed and finally sat down for the first time to eat and relax. Then, of course, we had to wrap about a dozen presents because I hadn't wrapped a single thing for the boys, but had told them Santa would come the first night they were back in Clovis. Silly me, I should have known better and given Santa at least an extra day to settle. Lol. Oh well! Needless to say, by midnight we actually forgot it was even New Years Eve, ha.
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| Me and B paaaassed out on the plane |
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| Thank goodness for stickers... |
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| Fishy lips! |
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| My two sweet boys passed out in the car after our long flight to Albuquerque |
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| After Santa came on New Years Eve |
So what is my new job? I am the secretary for a Colonel on base. It is an awesome fit for so many reasons which include, in no particular order: 1) I love the kind of work I'm doing. 2) I am on base with the boys who are also on base at daycare (along with their pediatrician and my doctor, which makes any doctor's appointments super easy). 3) I am a GS employee now, which has great benefits (such as once you are in the GS employee system they favor you for other GS positions [i.e., when we move again, it will be easier for me to get another GS position on base]). 4) I am fulltime (as opposed to a lot of the hourly jobs I was considering out of desperation). 5) My boss is military and gets my life right now; he understands the constraints I am under and is sympathetic to them.
So that's 2016 for us so far. And I don't know why, but I have a feeling this year is going to be so much better than last year, because except for bringing my Bradley into the world, last year was rough. But I will say this, last year made me stronger and last year taught me life lessons that I will take with me (especially about being a military spouse). So bring it on, 2016, I am so ready for whatever you have to throw my way. <3
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
A weekend away
This past weekend we made a last minute decision to head to Albuquerque for the weekend. We left Clovis around 7pm and arrived in Albuquerque around 11pm, so it made for a long night on Friday, especially for Matt who worked a full day and then drove the whole way. But it was worth it to just wake up in Albuquerque and have our whole Saturday ahead of us to do whatever we wanted.
So whenever we go to Albuquerque we stay at the hotel on base, but this time we stayed in a TLF (temporary lodging facility) on base instead, which was awesome. It cost $3 more per night (yes, you read that right, $3), but instead of just being a regular hotel room, it was a 2 bedroom apartment. We had our own covered carport, a full kitchen, a backyard, a living room, a huge dining table, a washer and dryer, a high chair, a pack and play... all for an extra THREE dollars. It was just so nice because we had plenty of room to spread out and relax, and we usually have to be quiet and tip toe around in a hotel room after Ethan goes to bed at 8pm, but this way we put him in his own room and could still sit up and watch a movie together and not worry about keeping him up. We will absolutely be staying at the TLF next time, too.
So we woke up Saturday morning and went to Panera for breakfast, then a little shopping at Kohl's followed by some furniture shopping for our master bedroom. Matt and I have been married almost 4 years and we are literally still using our childhood dressers because we've never found a master bedroom set that we liked - but this weekend we finally had success! Finally!!! The set is nothing like what I ever would've pictured for us, but it's unique and really durable (which is super important for our lifestyle since we move all the time) and I am SO excited for them to get here so we can move into them and feel like adults with a real adult bedroom. :)
After shopping we hit up the Chickfila drive-thru for lunch and then back to our apartment for Ethan to take his afternoon nap and just let Bradley stretch it out and relax a bit. And during nap time Matt got to run to the home brew store and our favorite liquor store to stock up on some brewing supplies and yummy beer to bring back home. Then once Ethan woke up we all headed to our favorite playground on base to let Ethan run around and burn some energy.
From there we had dinner at the Noodle Bar for sushi (something else delicious we can't get in Clovis, lol) and then we got a growler from Marble Brewery, dessert from Flying Star Cafe and a movie from Redbox to take back to our place. So once the boys went to sleep Matt and I got to enjoy good beer, good dessert and a movie. It was really an awesome day. And a bonus for the day? Bradley rolled from his back to his belly for the first time ever! Yay! :)
Then Sunday we woke up and headed to the Albuquerque zoo for the morning, where we rode the little train around (which Ethan loooved).
After the zoo we went to Holy Cow for burgers and then we got back on the road to head home. It was seriously such an awesome weekend spending time together as a family. Sometimes life can get so busy we forget to really stop and appreciate one another, but this weekend was exactly what we needed to relax and recharge. <3
So whenever we go to Albuquerque we stay at the hotel on base, but this time we stayed in a TLF (temporary lodging facility) on base instead, which was awesome. It cost $3 more per night (yes, you read that right, $3), but instead of just being a regular hotel room, it was a 2 bedroom apartment. We had our own covered carport, a full kitchen, a backyard, a living room, a huge dining table, a washer and dryer, a high chair, a pack and play... all for an extra THREE dollars. It was just so nice because we had plenty of room to spread out and relax, and we usually have to be quiet and tip toe around in a hotel room after Ethan goes to bed at 8pm, but this way we put him in his own room and could still sit up and watch a movie together and not worry about keeping him up. We will absolutely be staying at the TLF next time, too.
So we woke up Saturday morning and went to Panera for breakfast, then a little shopping at Kohl's followed by some furniture shopping for our master bedroom. Matt and I have been married almost 4 years and we are literally still using our childhood dressers because we've never found a master bedroom set that we liked - but this weekend we finally had success! Finally!!! The set is nothing like what I ever would've pictured for us, but it's unique and really durable (which is super important for our lifestyle since we move all the time) and I am SO excited for them to get here so we can move into them and feel like adults with a real adult bedroom. :)
After shopping we hit up the Chickfila drive-thru for lunch and then back to our apartment for Ethan to take his afternoon nap and just let Bradley stretch it out and relax a bit. And during nap time Matt got to run to the home brew store and our favorite liquor store to stock up on some brewing supplies and yummy beer to bring back home. Then once Ethan woke up we all headed to our favorite playground on base to let Ethan run around and burn some energy.
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| While Matt and Ethan played on the playground, Bradley and I relaxed in the shade |
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| My Bradley loves his tummy time! |
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| The polar bears! Ethan's favorite :) |
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| Sizing up his hands to polar bear paws |
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| We watched the seals get fed |
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| Three generations of elephants (grandma, mom and baby) |
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| With the train engineer after our ride around the zoo |
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