Head Bump

Andrew fell on the tile floor last night. He hit the front of his forehead on the tile floor and got a pretty nasty knot.

Poor Isaac

Isaac had his first set of dental work done today. He had half his mouth done. Four fillings, two caps, a root canal and a panoramic xray to check out his permanant teeth that don't have room to come in.

They said he hated the numbing stuff at first, but other than that he did great. He said he cried because the pinching hurt (holding his cheek back so they could get to his teeth). He came out smiling, excited and proud that he got a dollar off coupon to McDonalds. Oh the little things in life!!

I explained that he would have some of the same work done at the end of the month to the other side of his mouth. No root canal or xray, but fillings and caps. He said okay and started playing with his balloon. What a trooper!

I am glad he is okay with it - this is just the beginning. He will need lots of work over the years because of the teeth coming in damaged. I hope he stays this calm with it all.

Isaac's swollen cheek - left side when you look at him)
Isaac TRYING to smile

Caleb Goes to Camp

CALEB CALLED - YAY!!!!!!!

He called about 8:30 last night. He said that everyone was having a pillow fight, and since he couldn't he thought he would call (he took a blowup camping pillow to save space). The first thing he said when I answered the phone is "I am having SOOOOOO much fun at camp!"

He is doing archery. He said yesterday they learned all of the safety tips and how to do it and today they will actually start doing it. He is very excited about it. He said he gets to swim during all of his free time.

He is so funny. He answered a couple of my questions and then ask "Mom, how are YOU doing?" I guess he expects me to fall apart without him. I told him we were doing fine and that his brothers missed him. He talked to Daddy for a while - told him they were getting up at FIVE AM - I told him not to get in a habit of that!

So, he is having a blast. I asked if he wanted to ride back to AR with his friends on the bus. He got very excited and said he did, but asked if we would be there to get him. I told him if we were not there yet, Chrisanna would pick him up.

I am so happy that he is getting to have this experience and that he is getting to see the friends he has been missing so badly. I hope this is enough to get him through the rest of the summer and get out of his funk.

Caleb Goes to Camp

So, my oldest baby went off church camp yesterday. It has been over 24 hours and we have not heard from him at all. I gave him ALL of our numbers....NOTHING!

I called the lady that is over the Children's Ministry at the church. She is who I had been talking to and making plans for Caleb to meet up with them. I wanted to see if Caleb could ride back to Arkansas with them because we are going to AR Thursday. She asked me if he had called us at all. I told her no, but she could tell him too!! STILL HAVE NOT HEARD FROM HIM!!!!

I know he signed up for archery as one of his activities - but I don't know what else. I will give updates if he ever calls his Mom.

Honestly, I am glad he is having fun and is comfortable to not feel like he needs to call me daily - even though we would LOVE to hear from him and miss him.

Wedding Photo

All of the family at the wedding

Pictures from Nana's Wedding

Mr. and Mrs. Porter
Mom, Dad and Nana

Nana and the boys



Our Family












Aunt Lindsay and the boys
Mommy and AJ during the ceremony

Happy 4th of July!!!

And Happy Birthday to my little brother.

We took it easy for our holiday! We checked out some other towns to look for a house in. Then we went and got a slip and slide for the boys, as well as some steaks. While Daddy grilled and got dinner ready, the boys played in the water (and the rain).

Today we went back to a town we have decided to also look for a house in (along with the initial town we have been looking in). We wanted to go back from Paul's office to see how long and hard it would be to get there (it would mean a ferry ride for the easiest/shortest route). After driving around and looking at some neighborhoods, we took the boys to the movies to see WALL-E. It was a pretty cute movie. Andrew's first! He did good for the first half, and got a little restless for the second half. We went through lots of bite-sized cookies and little fruit snacks to keep him quiet. Overall he did very well.

Then we ran a few errands - like getting a new cord for my laptop! I have been without my laptop for about 2 months and just have not gotten around to getting a new cord. It had been giving me problems when I tried to charge it, and the last time it was used Paul said there were sparks coming out of it. I haven't attempted to use it since. I am VERY happy to have my laptop back!

Tomorrow we drive to Mississippi to take Caleb to church camp. This is the first year he has gone and he is VERY excited.

I have a few pictures from this weekend and also from Nana's wedding that I will get on here as soon as I can.

Lost In.....the House

Caleb just got OUT OF BED to come to the bottom of the stairs. He was mumbling something, all we heard is "Mom...."

After stumbling over his words for a minute he says "I can't find my bed."

We pointed to where his bedroom was, he went to the restroom. We told him he was NOT in his room and he snapped at us "I HEARD YOU!"

I guess he was awake at that point.

No More Eating Out For AJ

Andrew has gotten HORRIBLE at forcing himself to burp. We don't laugh at him (not that he can see or hear anyway), in fact, we get on to him for it. His brothers are enough encouragement that he thinks it is hilarious and does it over and over.

We went to get the dogs last night from the groomers and they were not done with Jake yet, so we ran to get something to eat. Andrew guzzled him drink and then let out the LOUDEST burp you have probably ever heard from a one year old. It was the kind you would expect to hear from a man with a big beer belly - after guzzling a couple of beers. If I had not been sitting right next to him and heard and seen him, I would not have believed it was him.

LOVELY!!

At what point does the "if you can't beat them join them" rule come into play?

On the Decline

Jake, our oldest dog (about14 years old) has declining health lately. They all went to the vet this week and we learned that he has heartworms, and has had them for sometime. Paul has had Jake sent shortly after we started dating, so this is very sad for us!

We have been misinformed - we had always been told (and Paul has an animal science degree and worked with a vet) that dogs get heartworms from drinking water that has mosquito larvae in it. He was not on heartworm pills, but we were very adament about them getting clean water daily (he is an outdoor dog). We found out Monday that dogs get heartworms when a mosquito that has bit and infected animal then bites an uninfected animal.

They do not recommend treating him because of his age. The treatment itself could kill him and frankly, he probably does not have much time left anyway. The vet said he could, however, outlive us all WITH the heartworms - there is just no way to know.

Realistically, we knew he was not doing well, he can't hear, he can't see and he basically just sleeps all the time. The heat REALLY gets to him now (which - in Louisiana could be a problem). We did not expect great news from the vet, just did not expect heartworms either!

We took Jake and Trip to the groomers yesterday. They shaved Jake. He is so much cooler now and really enjoying it much more. It could also help that he has been in the house since he got home. Bella figured out this weekend while we were gone how to get out of the kennel. Luckily, she won't go far from Jake - so when we got home she was asleep next to him (with a fence between them). Since she dug the hole and figured it out, she won't stay in the kennel. So, she too has been in the house. They are much happier and VERY well behaved! The boys are enjoying the excuse that they need to be walked for a reason to go outside.

This morning, though, Jake decided to try to climb the stairs. We think about half way up he changed his mind and tried to turn around. Paul turned around just in time to see Jake falling down half the stairs (head over bottom tumble). He hurt himself. He is walking, but limping pretty bad. There is nothing swollen or obvious, we think he sprained something or tore a muscle. He limps worse after he lays on the hard floor, so we went and got him a cushiony bed and he is basically staying on the bed all the time.

Heartworms or not, unfortunately I will be surprised if he makes it through the summer. :(

No More

While we were in Walmart this morning, we had several women stop and comment of FOUR BOYS and "are you going to try for a girl."

After the last women stopped and commented, Caleb (in a not so quiet voice) says "maybe you should go to the hospital and get the egg and sperm fertilizer...."

I shut him up there.

Alligators

Tonight the boys had fried alligator for the first time. They all seemed to like it, even though Daddy said it was not very good (he likes alligator, this was just really greasy and not the best tasting).

Just another first for our new life in Louisiana!

Girl Crazy

We went to look at a house tonight. On the way home we decided to try out one of the restaraunts in the town we are trying to buy in. We went and sat down and Bryce needed to go to the restroom. Caleb volunteered to take him (VERY unusual). Bryce came back to the table, but Caleb wasn't with him. I asked where he was and Bryce said he was washing his hands and putting water in his hair.

All of the waitresses were young and wearing short shorts. Funny how Caleb has no problems with how his hair looks until our waitress came to the table and then he IMMEDIATELY needed to fix his hair.

No, it really isn't funny!

Mr. Funny is a Table Dancer

Louisiana Monsoons

Since we got to Louisiana, it has rained EVERY afternoon. About 3 in the afternoon every day, it rains and makes it VERY humid (more than it already is). It doesn't cool it off any, just makes it more humid! Here are some photos of the clouds building up the other day for our afternoon rain (we actually had a pretty good storm that day).

Andrew's Favorite Place

Andrew has been doing really well at playing in his room by himself. We put the gate in his doorway and he plays happily. He is always either in his toy box or his book box. It is really cute. I guess it is easier to get IN the toy box than to bend over it and find what he wants.
Playing in his toybox

I LOVE this picture
Climbing out of his toybox



Playing in the windowsill while sitting in his book box
Andrew reading in his book box

Four States in Just Over Two Days

Four states, seven interstates, a wedding, almost a funeral, some swimming, yard work, a little house work, a couple of storms and one packed little car. That was our weekend.

We went from Louisiana to Texas for Paul's mom's wedding. The boys got to swim in their pool after the wedding - which they had a blast doing. We had fun - got to see family we had not seen in a long time. The wedding was pretty (and wasn't very long - which is ALWAYS great with kids). Before the wedding they did pictures. Andrew hammed it up! He was a hit. Hopefully, I will have those photos soon and I will add them on here. We were able to get some family pictures, some pictures of just the boys and of just Daddy and I. Can't wait to see how they turned out.

The boys did really well. Andrew had everyone laughing - especially during pictures. He was kind of giggly during the wedding, but overall they all did awesome. And they were no problem after the wedding - they got in the pool as soon as we got to their house and got out when it was time to go. Great entertainment!!!

After the wedding festivites, we packed up and drove to Arkansas to take care of the yard. I listened to messages and found out that our realtor was in a serious car accident - hence the "almost funeral" - she called to let us know she could not do the open house Sunday). She was hit head-on. The paramedics went to try and help her out of the car and she kept telling them she needed to get her signs out of the trunk and this and that. They finally told her her car was going to explode and she needed to get out immediately. Her accelerator was stuck down. The car was not going anywhere, but it was smoking from staying revved up. Luckily, she is okay. Her whole left side is one big bruise and she has a huge black eye. She had a CT scan and she does not have a concussion or anything. She did sprain her ankle - but she is VERY lucky. Her car is totalled and she basically walked away from it. (Her car stopped a block away from where she was initially hit)

After taking care of the house we headed back to Louisiana. To get here we go from AR to LA through Mississippi and back into LA. Needless to say it was an exhausting weekend!

These are all the pictures I got of the kids this weekend - like I said, more should be coming soon.

Andrew

Bryce

Isaac

Caleb and Andrew

Caleb and Patrick

I'm A Cloud Factory!

This is for the boys, from Daddy. We still have at least one that thinks that there are cloud factories, so I guess when Daddy saw this, he thought of the boys.


By A Smokestack
September 7, 2005 | Issue 41•36


Puff ... puff ... puff ...

Hey, everybody, look at me!

No, don't look around you—look up! Up here! It's me, the cloud factory!

Watch me work all day and all night. I'm hundreds of feet high. I'm so tall, I can almost touch the sky!

I love what I do. Every day, I give something to my friend Sky. I'm a cloud factory!

Puff! Here's another one, Sky! Puff! Puff!

I make all kinds of clouds—in all kinds of colors! Sometimes, I make white ones. Sometimes, they're gray. Sometimes, they're as brown as the grass or the trees. And sometimes, they're as green as the river.

And sometimes, they're as black as the night!

In the morning, little men go into a little house that sits under me, way below.

Hello, dear little men!

Soon, my tummy starts to feel full. And when I feel like I can't hold any more, out pop the wonderful clouds! Pop! Pop! Pop!

Sometimes, they come out in long, thin streaks. Phwissss...ssssss...ssssssss...

Or sometimes, they're not little clouds at all, but one looooooooooooong cloud that fills up the entire Sky! Chuggachuggachuggachuggachuggachuggachugga...

When Sun sinks away, going to the other side of the world to meet his other cloud-factory friends, the little men come out of the little house.

Goodbye, dear little men!

But I'm not lonely for long, because very soon, different little men come in to take their place.

Hello, new little men!

There they stay all night, and everything starts all over again. And I get to greet my other friends, the Stars, with my cloudy hellos!

Puff!

Gosh! Did you see that cloud? That one came out alllll orange!

Once in a while, other clouds visit me. I send them little yellow clouds that frolic and play with the visitor clouds. Then, the visitor clouds start to rain. And you know what? Some days, the raindrops come out yellow—the same color as my clouds!

Thank you, visitor clouds!

I have other friends, too. Like the little birds. I love to watch them swoop and soar. They are so beautiful and graceful, and they bring me great joy. I'm so full of joy! I can barely hold it in! So I give them something beautiful back. Just as they approach, I pop out a great big pink cloud!

And when the birds fly straight into the cloud, they do a "rain dance" down... down... down... to the ground. Like a hundred little feathered raindrops!

Come back soon, birds!

One day, after the little men left the little house that sits under me, some other little men came and nailed boards to its windows and doors.

For a long, long time, I couldn't make any clouds. It made me very, very sad. My friends Sky and Sun tried their best to cheer me up, shining brighter and bluer and clearer than they ever had before, and I loved them more than ever before, and I wished I could thank them by giving them a nice yellow cloud. But, try as I might, I couldn't make one.

But then, one day, some little men came by and took the boards off the doors and windows of the little house.

How exciting! What was happening?

The next day, more little men came. A short while later, I felt a rumbling feeling deep down in my tummy.

Was it ... ? Could it be ... ?

Puff!

Out popped a great big cloud even yellower than the lake!

And to this very day, I still make clouds.

And I'm never, ever lonely.

Chuggachuggachuggachuggachuggachuggachugga...

New Drs

I have begun the DAUNTING task of finding drs/dentist for the kids. This is one of my LEAST favorite things about moving to a totally new area. I have planned on doing it soon, because so many places make you wait longer to see the dr if you are a new patient - and we see the dr a lot, so....

I got a recommendation from someone Paul works with for a Pediatric dentist. She said her kids love this dentist because she is cute and great with kids. I can hear Caleb now (which, by the way, got add this story real quick. This morning, we had to take Daddy his wallet to work. As I am loading the kids in the car, I was lecturing the boys about the fact they, once again, had not combed their hair and it was sticking up EVERYWHERE. Caleb asked where we were going. Instead of the normal "it doesn't matter where we are going, you should care enough about how you portray yourself to AT LEAST comb your hair and make it lay down" speech, I said "We are going somewhere where there are lots of 'hot chicks'." He starts trying to lay his hair down and told me he needed to go in real quick. I guess we found what to say to make Caleb care how he looks a little).

So, anyway, Isaac's teeth have been bothering him. He needs to get some work done, and I really want it done over the summer so that he doesn't have to miss school for it. I called and they actually scheduled Caleb and Isaac for next Thursday (Caleb has a little work that needs to be done too). I will have to go get some more Tylenol to keep on hand for poor Isaac!

Not having as much luck with Pediatricians. I emailed our realtor to see if she can get any recommendations for us. We have been so lucky in the past. We picked GREAT clinics in TX and AR and found drs at both that we REALLY liked. HOPEFULLY we can do that here too!

Wish us luck!!

Boys!

While we were driving around looking at houses this weekend, the boys decided to have a burping contest. Lovely, I know. Sadly, ANDREW started it! He kept making himself burp, then his brothers had to join in(Bryce might be a burping champion).

It is very hard to tell them to stop when you are laughing because the ONE YEAR OLD started it.

He ended up making himself spit up - his reflux is bad enough without him forcing it!