In a flash!!

It's amazing what can happen in a split second!  I had planned on sitting down this afternoon to update everyone on our week, but instead I'm going to fill you in on our morning...

Both Jeff and I were helping in the nursery this morning at church so we got going a little earlier than normal and I was amazed at the fact that we actually got out the door by 8:30!  Jeff and I were in different rooms, I was in the toddler room with Grant and Cooper.  The hour during service was uneventful, all was well.  The parents began to arrive to pick up their little kiddos and I was standing on the inside of the door while another helper was on the outside greeting parents (we have those half doors, so the kids can't bolt out of the room, but we can hand them over to their parents).  The door was opened so a little one could walk out and all of a sudden I heard a blood curdling scream from Cooper who was standing right in front of me.  As someone shut the door his little fingers were in the crack where the hinges were and had gotten pinched.  However this was no minor pinch.  I swooped him up and saw blood pouring out of his finger.  We ran to the bathroom where I began to panic from seeing all the blood and his blue fingernail, not my finest moment!!  As a mom you hope and pray that in moments of crisis you will stay calm and know just what to do...not the case this time.  Hopefully this was a learning lesson for me and I will do better next time, because with three little boys I'm positive there will be a next time.

Thank goodness another dad heard me asking for help and came into the bathroom to help me.  He tried to get the bleeding to stop but it just kept coming!  Poor Cooper kept on screaming, I thought for sure his finger was broken.  All of this is going on while parents are coming to pick up their children, and it is quite chaotic in the room!  Grant was crying and hanging on to my legs.  I have a feeling he could sense something was wrong with his brother.  By the time Jeff got to the room, the bleeding was slowing down, so we wrapped a couple of band-aids around his finger and headed off to the ER.  Cooper was such a trooper while we were there.  They had to take x-rays to make sure there was no fracture, which there wasn't!  They had to clean it up, and then they had to take his fingernail off!  That was...ugh...terrible!!  There were many many tears!!  He is sleeping soundly in his bed now with his finger all bandaged up.  I told Jeff after we got home from the ER, I am so thankful we have healthy children!  If dealing with a lost fingernail is this traumatic, I just can't imagine anything worse.  It is such an awful feeling to watch your child be in pain.  Today I will be saying prayers for my little boy's finger to heal quickly, but also for all those parents whose children are suffering and in pain.  My heart goes out to them!

Cooper showing off his big bandage.  He looks like he's in a lot of pain huh??

Forts and Tunnels

In the last five days we have basically been home bound.  I've somewhat "quarantined" the boys as to try not to spread this nasty virus.  We've played with all the toys, read many many books, watched some TV, and now what do we do??  We started having fun the old-fashioned way...by making good old fashioned blanket forts and tunnels.  The boys love climbing under the blankets and winding through the cushion tunnels.  Dry air + playing with blankets = some pretty wild hair!!

I love this picture!!  What a ham!

Ok mom, enough with the camera!!

All is Well

Everyone is on the road to recovery at our house.  I took Cooper back to the doctor yesterday because his cough had gotten so much worse and he sounded like he was gasping for air after each cough.  The doctor checked his oxygen levels and respiratory rate and both were normal.  We are just continuing with the antibiotics and trying to get as much of the "gunk" out of his nose as possible.  Grant seems to be taking the virus a little better.  They both have double ear infections but Cooper just seems a little more run down than Grant.  Jackson is hanging in there, so far he just has the sniffles, but we will see what the next couple of days bring.  Only 2 more months of winter, right?!?!

I walked into the family room and found Jackson "reading" to his brothers today.  He has many books memorized and can recite them word for word.  I thought it was sweet to see Grant and Cooper listening so carefully.  Jeff and I have seen the three of them playing together and enjoying each other's company so much more in the last week or so.  They are getting so much better about taking turns with their toys and asking for a turn when they want something instead of grabbing for it.  I feel like I need my referee outfit and whistle a lot less often these days. :)  What a joy it is to see them laughing and playing together!  They love to race around the house, chase each other, and wrestle.  Today Jackson was pretending he was Buzz Lightyear and Grant and Cooper were space rangers.  Grant and Cooper would race after Jackson and follow him wherever he went.

As I'm typing this I can hear Grant waking up on the monitor saying, "Cooper, Cooper."  We had a nice quiet afternoon, everyone napped!  Naptime is over though and it's time to play!  Enjoy your weekend!

Back to the Doctor

We are headed back to the doctor's office for the second time in the last 24 hours.  It is -2 degrees, -21 windchill and I have to bundle everyone up to take them out.  This is one of many instances when I really wish we had a Grandma close by!!  Thank goodness we have warm coats, hats, and gloves and a car that works which is more than many other people can say.  I just pray everyone is staying warm today!

It's Been Awhile

Life has been busy and I have not had a moment to sit down and write.  Well, let me restate, life has been busy and when I have had a minute to sit down, I sat!  The last two weeks we've just been plugging away, trying to deal with the cold and the snow.  We've had a few trips to the mall to play in their play area and trips to the library just so we could get out of the house.  My parents came to visit us this past weekend.  It's always fun to have them come and the boys love spending time with them.  The night they were arriving late in the evening, Jeff caught Jackson out of his bed peering out his window.  He confessed that he was looking for lights to see if Grandma and Grandpa were here yet. :)  He was very excited, and he knew Grandma was bringing cookies!  We had a quiet weekend filled with lots of playing and reading books.  We almost always have a project planned when my parents come out, but this weekend we just spent time together which was even better!  Jeff and I were able to have a date night while they were here, which was a treat!  A delicious dinner at our own pace and a night at the movies with no babysitting fee is a luxury!  The last night my parents were here I could feel myself getting sick.  Sure enough yesterday I felt miserable!  Thank goodness it was a holiday and Jeff was home.  I was able to rest most of the day and am feeling better today.  I put Jackson to bed last night and he was so sweet.  He gave me a big hug and said, "I'm sorry you feel sick Mommy.  You need to go to sleep and you'll feel better in the morning."  He was right!

The boys are constantly changing and learning new things.  Here are some of the latest:
1.  Jackson said to me one night, "You're my special mommy."  :)
2.  Cooper often says, "Ok, I get it!"
3.  Grant continues to tell his knock knock jokes, going immediately to the punch line and laughing at himself!
4.  Jackson is finally starting to work on his writing a little.  He will sit with me for about 5 minutes and practice letters.
5.  We rented "Toy Story 2" from the library and the boys are obsessed with it.  Cooper constantly asks for "sory sory two?"
6.  Grant loves jumping on the trampoline and he can bounce!!  I'm just waiting for the day he falls and we have to go the ER...well, I hope not!
7.  Right after Christmas we were really struggling with discipline, but we have definitely turned a corner in the last week.  I'm so pleased to see all three of the boys taking turns and helping each other out.  Don't get me wrong, we still have pushing and stealing of toys but there has been a MAJOR improvement which is awesome!
8.  Grant and Cooper are pacifier free!  This is a long story that I won't get into, but it's official the pacifiers are gone.  The next step is big boy beds...I'm holding on to the cribs as long as I can so it may be awhile!

Egg Bake

I took an egg bake to MOPS today and it was delicious.  It was a new recipe so I thought I would share.  It was super simple and since you make it the night before it's an easy way to have a hot meal in the morning without a lot of work.
ENJOY!

CHEESY EGG CASSEROLE
1 lb. monterey jack cheese, shredded
1 T. flour
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 lb. sliced bacon, cooked and crumbled
12 eggs
1 cup milk

Directions:
1.  Toss the monterey jack cheese with the flour and put in the bottom of a greased 9X13X2 baking dish.
2.  Top with cheddar cheese; sprinkle with the bacon.
3.  Beat eggs and milk; pour over all.
4.  Cover and chill for 8 hours or overnight
5.  Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking.
6.  Bake uncovered at 325 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until knife inserted near the center comes out clean.  Let stand 5 minutes before cutting.

Christmas 2010

I finally figured out how to get a slideshow embedded in my post!  I'm a little slow, but at least I'm learning something new. :)  We had a crazy final week of December, with lots of traveling and visiting family.  The boys enjoyed Christmas and Jeff and I loved to watch them experience everything.  As anyone with children knows, travel = very little sleep, so we were all exhausted when we finally made it home.  In fact we are still trying to get caught up on sleep and back in to our normal routine.  Hopefully by the end of this week life will be back to normal.  This slideshow is long, so it may only be of interest to the grandparents.  :)  But for those of you who have some time to kill, enjoy!

What do I want to be when I grow up?

Quick story about Jackson.  Today at snack we were talking about what we wanted to be when we grow up.

Me:  What do you want to be when you grow up and you're a Daddy?
Jackson:  I don't want to be a Daddy.  I want to be Superman.
Me:  Wow, you will be a great superhero!
Jackson:  When I'm Superman I'm going to fly up to Heaven and when someone falls down I'll help them so they don't cry.

I didn't dare crush his dream and tell him there are no tears in Heaven.  I thought it was sweet that he was thinking about others.  Now if only he would show that kind of compassion toward his brothers! :)

Ridiculous!

I have just spent over 2 hours trying to get a post out here with a slideshow of pictures from our Christmas and I'm about ready to throw the computer out the window...so I think it's time to call it a night.  Please stay tuned for pictures...I hope!