50/50

One week later and we are 50% back to normal, meaning Monkus is feeling so much better, while I am still battling this stupid ear infection.

However, the weekend was too beautiful to let it pass us by, so we spent every single minute of available time - outdoors.

It was fantastic and beautiful and I absolutely adore this time of year!

It was great to see Addie enjoying herself and not get cranky because of the heat.

She was so silly and had the best time.

The path was covered in gravel and when we started walking down the little hills, she lost her balance several times and instead of getting upset, she kept saying, "Whoa!" and would giggle.

Simply holding my hand was enough to get her back on track - which is definite improvement.

On our way to the exit, Monkus spotted the ever famous elephant and tiger.

She never said a word, she just walked away from me, went and stood next to the elephant and started smiling.

After I took the picture, she walked back over to me and we continued on our way.

It was a rather odd, but funny moment.

Happy almost Fall to you all!

Addie's Favorite Day of the Week!

I cannot tell you how very much this Little Monkey loves dance class!

She is super excited and cannot wait to get to class each week.

(the pictures are not the best, but they are taken through a one way mirror)

No matter what is asked of Monkus, she gives 110%.

It may not be perfect form, but her effort more than compensates.

She watches herself in the mirror any chance she is given.

I love how she sweetly stands and waits her turn.

Waiting for further instruction...

This is one of Addie's very favorite parts - and she loves the sound of the tap shoes!

(overly cropped to remove the faces of the other little girls)

Addie was leaning forward to make sure she had a clear view of herself in the mirror.

Right after her turn doing the forward roll.

She still has a ton of anxiety when it is her turn, and it is a huge relief when her turn is over!

Ms. Amy is fantastic at assisting Addie and I love how she doesn't skip over Addie although she knows Addie couldn't do it without her.

Dance class was over for the night and this Little Monkey was less than thrilled.

She could dance all night long...

Conversations with My 14 Year Old Son - Part One

Surely, he knows not what he says...

We were in the middle of talking about Julien's day and he was telling me about a conversation involving history and harvesting food - it went like this:

Julien: Did you know that fat people used to be a "symbol" of wealth.

Me:  Yes, I do know that.  It puts into perspective how truly difficult life was/can be for people.

Julien:  (Laughing)  Wow, I bet people must think we're really rich.

Me:  ......  speechless  .......


~  Yes, I know he's 14 and his frontal lobe is not yet fully developed.  Not sure I'm buying that as a viable excuse.

Soaking up the Sun

With October in sight, the weather is starting to feel less miserable.

This means that we are starting to enjoy the outdoors again and Rudy is definitely soaking up every single ray of sunshine he can find.

He loves being on the sun porch, and has no problem making himself comfortable.

We even spent the afternoon at the zoo and didn't melt into a puddle on the asphalt.

It was fantastic!

The Little Monkey was super proud of her giraffe hat from summer camp.

She was also all about her purse and wanted to make sure that it was perfectly positioned on her shoulder - at all times.

She is such a mess!

Denial

Denial is a gem of a place to live.
 This round of denial began on the way to Addie's doctor.
Things were rather foggy; that tends to happen with lack of sleep or so I convinced myself.

 Monday was fantastic and it got better when I had to take Monkey with me to my doctors appointment.
 Addie cried when I was called to the back and she cried when the nurse swabbed my throat and she cried when the doctor came into the room.
However, she didn't cry while watching me get two shots!
Everyone was super sweet to Monkey and she even got stickers because of my boo boos.

 Although I am now recovering from the strep that Fungus Monkus gave me; it's the massive ear infection that has me in excruciating pain.
THIS IS AWFUL!

 ---Then, tonight while enjoying a relatively quiet dinner at home with my precious, precious children; my oldest child asked me why we couldn't have a full time housekeeper.

I'm in need of more than just pain meds and antibiotics.

What was it I said...about perfect timing?

Julien is away for the weekend at a hunting camp.
Chris is away in Atlanta attending The Tour Championship.

That left Monkey and me with nothing else to do but to go and see our very favorite Pediatrician -ever.

Monkus has strep, which resulted in two boo boo shots.
She is absolutely miserable and extremely overprotective of her boo boo band aids.

It is beautiful outside and all the Little Monkey can do is lay in (my) bed and sleep off and on.
The good news is that by this time tomorrow, she should be feeling almost all better.

~~~

And, my brother is doing well, just in a ton of pain.
He's tough and isn't being a baby whiner, which always helps facilitate recovery.

Perfect Timing

In case you haven't noticed over the years, my family always has the perfect timing

and

when it rains, you better bet, it's going to pour!

My very favorite youngest, older brother is having surgery tomorrow - again.

He has to be on crutches for six weeks, which means that he will hopefully get the all clear to put weight on his leg...two full days before his wedding.

We just have to hope that there are no setbacks and everything falls perfectly into place for him.

This is the update he posted on FB last week.

Please send well wishes his way!

Howie wrote: "8 more days until I have another knee surgery. This will make my 7th. This is a Autologous chondrocyte implantation of the knee (my last surgery they removed cartilage and have been growing it in a lab. The surgery on the 19th they will take that cartilage and fill in the large holes of missing cartilage.) that should give me a few more years of not having to have my knee replaced. My doctor is very good (Dr Lyle Cain) and is trying to hold off as long as possible due to my age before doing the knee replacement. I am 42 now and he doesn't like to do it on anyone under 50 unless he absolutely has to since he says they are only lasting 10-15 years at the moment. I have been told this will be very painful because I think the kneecap will be temporarily moved off to the side and the incision is right over the knee cap. Most of my missing cartilage is behind the knee and is not easy to get to. I will be staying at least one night in the hospital if not more. Wish me luck :) Detra or one of my sisters will post once I am out of recovery."

.....and it all started with a game of football...... 

Football 2013 - Game Two

Game Two - not a winning night.

Chris was out of town, it was 227 degrees outside, between the humidity, rain and rabid monkey, the camera didn't make its appearance very much.

I even offered up my phone in exchange for a chance to focus on the game.

She tried her best to capture each moment.

Not the best night we've seen.

~~~

September 9, 2013

One Exhausted Little Cheerleader

After a day spent going to Tuscaloosa then Homewood and then Vestavia, the Little Monkus was in need of some play time.

We stopped at our very favorite park for Addie therapy.

Our intent was to let Addie run and play (and get in some therapy), but of course our good intentions came to a halt once Monkus spotted the swings.

E.R. Baby and Monkus kicked back in the swing 

and

there was a moment when I was given the evil eye for interrupting her time of rest with the click of the camera.

Rotten, rotten, rotten.

E.R. Baby must have gotten upset because Addie started rubbing her head, kissed her and told her, "Alright Baby, alright".

When we finally extracted them from the swing, there wasn't much play taking place, but there was a whole lot of people watching taking place. 

...and trust me, we couldn't blame her.  there was a whole lot to be seen!...

~~~

September 7, 2013

Football 2013 - Game One

Game One - Win One

This is Julien's first year playing high school football.

This school is big enough to have their own freshman team, which is great because that means the boys actually get to play instead of sitting on the sidelines watching the upperclassmen play.

This is also the only year Julien will play for this team, assuming our new high school's ECD stays on track.

This year, I'm searching the field for my number 79 and it is not quite as easy as last year, considering he is no longer taller than most of his teammates. 

Once again, we were faced with trying to figure out what random thing brings Addie to tears.

Not long after arriving for the game, Addie started crying, and there was nothing to stop the tears.

I had packed her a bag full of time occupiers, and included her favorite chicken wrap, snacks and bottled water.

It was so bad that Julien even heard her crying.

Nothing worked...until I was right in the middle of wiping her face and she looked up and saw a man with a bag of popcorn.

With tears streaming down her face, she asked for popcorn

and in an effort to make the tears stop, 

I sent Addie and her Daddy in search of popcorn.

On this particular night, popcorn made everything all better.

...and peace fell upon the field for the last two quarters of the game...

bringing us win one of the season.

September 3, 2013

Poor guy...

My husband arrived home tonight after being gone all week on business.

While the trip went very well, the last thing I expected to see was my husband caught embracing a ginormous bear.

Of course, it could always be worse.

Sick Days

Sick Little Monkeys should spend sick days lounging around in bed, not painting priceless art

or monitoring Rudy's recess time.

but, I suppose that is one of the qualities that makes Addie so amazing.

She is not content to waste the day away and wants to be doing and learning every available minute and although she asks "What's that?" no less than 584 times an hour, I know that it means she is piecing it all together in an effort to understand and communicate.

So, while it wouldn't hurt my feelings to have quiet down time, I'm content to see...each little bit of progress.