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8/4/06- Today our friends from FC, who were at church on Wednesday night, stopped by to visit a little bit before they headed back. It was good to visit with them a little bit more, and the kids played.
After Daniel woke up from his nap, we had a quick lunch and ran to Wal-Mart to take advantage of the "no-tax" on clothing and school supplies, going on in TN, GA, and AL. They had some really nice shirts on clearance for Aaron, so I went ahead and picked him up some of those, and a pair of new khaki pants. It was nice to save some money on clothes!
8/3/06- We've hit 20 lbs!!! Daniel is officially 20 lbs! The same weight that Caleb was at year old, Daniel is at 8 months old. Chunk! I took Daniel to the doctor today, because he's just been really fussy, and even some people at church last night said he didn't seem like himself and was acting like he didn't feel well. I think he's just about to cut his bottom teeth. This is how Caleb acted when he was about to cut teeth. But, since he was running a little bit of a fever this morning (99), I decided to go ahead and take him, just in case. I love Dr. Fox. He's just such a great doctor and I really trust him and feel comfortable bringing the boys to him. I told him what had been going on, and mainly I wanted to make sure Daniel didn't have an ear infection. He looked in his ears, and said they were not infected, but his right ear did have some fluid behind it. This is exactly what Caleb went through- the fluid staying in the ear, and that's why he had to get tubes. We'll see what happens with Daniel. He said I could give him some of the drops he had prescribed for Caleb a few weeks ago, when he was having that ear pain. But, he seemed to think everything was okay, just probably teething causing the fussiness and fever, and the fluid in the ear causing some pain. He checked his throat, too, because he said there's been something going around, but Daniel's throat was fine, so that was good. I felt better that I went, and he said it's better to go ahead and bring them in when something doesn't seem right with them.
8/2/06- Daniel's pictures were ready to be picked up at noon, so the boys and I headed over to Chattanooga around 9:30 this morning. Before we left though, I had Daniel in his walker downstairs in the living room area and kitchen. I pushed our big chair over to the staircase to block him from being able to go anywhere near the stairs. Well, remember how I said that Daniel likes to pull the towels off the oven door? Well, while I was getting ready, I heard Caleb tell Daniel, "no, no, Daniel. We don't pull those towels down." And I ran to the hallway to see them, and Caleb was shaking his finger at Daniel and he said again, "no, no Daniel." I wish I had had my video camera rolling! And what was Daniel's response? Jumping and kicking and laughing at his big brother!
I packed everything for the day: lunch, clothes to change into for church, etc., because I planned on going to the church building early so the boys could take their naps and I could work on things in my classroom.
Daniel's pics turned out so cute! I just love them. We had our lunch then went to the church building for naps and to work on stuff. Everything worked out great.
Then, at services, we got to see some old friends from FC. They had come to Chattanooga on vacation and so we got to see them at church! It had been a long time and it was great to see them and meet their 3 daughters! Aaron led singing tonight and Aaron wanted to sit up there by him, so since Herbie had Daniel, I went ahead and sat up there, on the front row, with Caleb. Aaron's first song was "I'm Happy Today," and Caleb sang the whole thing great! He just sang it out and knew all the words. It was so cute.
8/1/06- Clean house! Vacuum, mop, dust, you name it! I just got in a cleaning mode today. Caleb helped me, which was cute. We got a lot done today. I made a nice dinner and Aaron got home and we just had a nice evening.
Caleb's latest thing is saying, "sorry" right after he'd done something wrong. He'll spill something, and say right away, "sorry. Sorry, Mommy." It's hard to not get upset when he says it so quickly and so sweetly after he does something. Sweet little boy.
7/31/06- Another recovering day. Wow- we are worn out! Mom and Dad got back on the road around 9am to go back home. Dad needed to get back home to work. I unpacked and did some laundry and worked on some things around the house. We're taking it easy, though.
Let me fill you in on some of the things Daniel's doing. He is really starting to babble and say things. It is pretty clear when he says "mama" and "dada." He said "dada" almost all weekend- it was so cute! He also loves his walker. He can get EVERYWHERE with that thing! Forward, backward, you name it! He likes to pull my dish towels off the oven and try to open my cabinets. I guess it's time to childproof again! Oh, and the other thing he tries to get into is the trashcan! I've got to watch him on this one. I keep putting the stool in front of it, but he's so determined to figure it out.
7/30/06- Time to pack up, get ready for church, pack the van, and "get us to the church on time!!!" Well, we did it- somehow! What a great group there in Gettysburg. Scott Smelser is the preacher there, and it was his daughter, April, who married my cousin Tim yesterday. The Smelsers are all great and we've known them a long time. You have the 3 boys: Jeff, Scott, and Darryl, and they are all preachers. And then their dad, Dale, is a preacher also! He preached up in Fair Lawn, NJ, where my family went for years. His wife, Marlene, who passed away a few years ago of cancer, was a great lady. So, anyway, Scott preaches there at the Gettysburg congregation, and he is a fantastic preacher. I really enjoyed his lesson. And the people there were all great. Caleb went to bible class and enjoyed it very much. The teacher came up to me afterwards and said he was great. She said she usually has to repeat the story 2-3 times before the kids can answer questions, and he was able to answer them after the first time.
During worship services, the boys and I sat with Amy and Paul (my cousin and her new husband, whose wedding we went to in June!). They were such a big help- especially Paul. Daniel actually fell asleep on him, which was great!
All of our family went to Ruby Tuesday's after church, before we all went our separate ways. It was really nice to be together and visit. Family is just so special and its great when you can all get together and visit.
We got on the road by 2:00pm and headed that way. It was a late night- we got in around 1am? Mom and Dad spent the night and planned on leaving in the morning. It was nice to get back home to Aaron.
7/29/06- Well, last night was not the best night. I am usually a very hard sleeper, but sleeping in the same room with the boys, I hear every move they make. Daniel slept alright, but I woke up everytime I heard him moving around, which was pretty often. Then, Caleb woke up around 3:00am talking in his sleep, and I felt him, and he was warm again. I gave him so more Motrin, and he went back to sleep.
The morning was busy. Daniel woke up very early for some reason. I guess he knew he was in a different place. Caleb slept a little bit longer. Then, Dad brought up some breakfast for all of us, and we ate, then I got the boys baths, and then I got ready, only 40 minutes before we had to leave! Thankfully, Matt and Dad came over to help with last minute things- shoes and socks on, etc. Caleb seemed to be okay- no more fever, so I don't know what happened.
We made it to the wedding and it was outside in the backyard of the bride's parents house. It was very beautiful. It was a lovely ceremony and there were several people I got to see that I hadn't seen in a long time. It was hot- very hot, but we made it through. Daniel slept during most of the ceremony, but then was up the rest of the time. By 2:00pm, they were ready to go and take naps...in beds! So, we headed out and planned to get together with family later in the evening.
The boys and I all took great naps. Then, my Dad called and said we were going to someone's house for dinner with all of the family- how nice! These people live in a lake community in Gettysburg and the whole backside of their house is windows looking out on the lake. Beautiful. We had a great time visiting with everyone: cousins, my cousin's new husband, aunts, uncles, grandma. It was great to be together. The boys did really well. Caleb loved seeing the boats go back and forth on the lake. He would get so excited everytime he saw a boat, and Daniel would just laugh at him! Caleb just loved my cousins Amy and David. He had fun playing with both of them. It was a great night.
7/28/06- We aimed for 7:30am and we were on the road by 8:00- not too bad for having the two little guys! Caleb had to go potty by the time we got to Chattanooga- only 35 minutes down the road. But, after that he was fine. We got to Bristol around lunch time, so we stopped there for lunch at Wendy's. We got back on the road, and all of us took naps- except Papa, who was driving. The boys didn't sleep very long for some reason. We stopped for a potty break around 4:30 and then got back on the road. We were still another 2 hours from Winchester, and then it was about an hour past that!
Well, 30 minutes after we got back on the road, Caleb started getting really whiney, and I looked back at him, and he just had this glazed look on his face. I could tell he didn't feel well. I asked him if his head hurt or his belly, and he said his head. I felt him, and he was burning up. He was fine just 30 minutes ago! I had some Motrin in my bag, so I gave him that, and we planned on stopping for dinner around 6/6:30pm. When we stopped to eat, he just laid on the booth and didn't want to eat anything. All of the sudden, he sat up, and wanted to eat the jello that Papa brought him and wanted something to drink. Then, he laid on my lap, and I put my water glass on his cheeks and forehead. He said, "that feels good, Mommy. Thank you for making me feel better! That makes me feel better!" So, by the time we left, he was feeling better- but still not 100%.
We got to the hotel around 9:30pm and the boys were more than ready to go to bed. All of us were exhausted. Once we got the boys down in my room, we went across the hall to Mom and Dad's room and talked about our plans for getting to the wedding. The wedding was going to be at 10am!!
7/27/06- Whew! Busy, busy day. I worked on the house and did laundry all day, getting ready for our trip to PA. My parents are coming tonight to spend the night, so we can get up early in the morning and get on the road.
We got some tomatoes from someone's garden, so I made some homemade spaghetti sauce for dinner. We had a nice dinner with Mom and Dad (Nana and Papa) and then got ready for bed. It will be a long day tomorrow...
7/26/06- Yay! Daniel's pictures showed up online! Aren't they so cute? I just love his expressions in each picture. He did so great.
Well, the boys and I are getting ready to go on another trip. My cousin is getting married in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, so my parents are riding up with the boys and I in the van. Hope everything goes well on this quick trip!
7/25/06- Today we are recovering from the last couple days. Things have been busy and hectic...but lots of fun!
7/24/06- Rise and shine...early. Aaron has been waking up early, since he's technically working now, even though kids aren't in school yet. He had a seminar he had to be at today. But, he's been getting up early and riding his bike around town to get some exercise before he heads to work. Well, he was back eating breakfast around 5:30am Central/6:30 Eastern, and he had a little person up with him to keep him company! Joey got up. Then Jackson got up shortly after that. Then Caleb got up! So by 6:00am Central, all 3 boys were up. Well, at least Daniel slept...for only another 30 minutes after they all got up! But, everything worked out. We had a GREAT day! After breakfast, we did a little craft project with those Lightning McQueen foam stickers we found at Michael's the other day. Then, the boys played with Playdoh for a long time at the kitchen table. Then, they played outside, and after I fed Daniel, I packed a lunch for us to take to the Nickajack Dam Park by the Nickajack Lake/Tennessee River. The boys had a blast. We saw two trains go by across the lake and some boats. The boys played on the playground and just had lots of fun.
We got home and got the boys baths right away, because they were DIRTY! Then, dressed and ready for naps. They went right down- they were all worn out! We planned on having people over for dinner, so Josh and Rachele could get the boys and to get some other people over we hadn't had over before. It was a great night and we all enjoyed each others company.
7/23/06- Tonight we're going to have Caleb's friends from church come and spend the night- Joey and Jackson. They are all so excited! It should be a lot of fun.
Having the van is great, because we just put carseats in the back two seats, and went home! The boys played in Caleb's room and Aaron fed Daniel his dinner while I got grilled cheese and Goldfish soup ready for the boys. Getting to bed was interesting, but everything worked out. We had planned on Joey and Jackson sleeping in the big queen bed in Daniel's room, and having Daniel sleep in a Pack n' Play in Caleb's room, and Caleb in his own bed. Well, Caleb wanted to sleep in with Joey and Jackson, so we pulled his mattress in there and put it on the floor. Well, then Jackson wanted to sleep down on that bed and Caleb wanted to sleep up in the big bed with Joey! Well, then Joey wanted to sleep down on the twin bed with his brother, Jackson! So, then Caleb thought he'd play with the lamp by the bed, and was keeping the other 2 boys awake! So, finally, we went back to the original plan: Caleb in his OWN bed in his OWN room, Joey and Jackson in the big bed in Daniel's room. They finally fell asleep!
Aaron and I stayed up watching a movie on TBS, which was really good. It was a good night!
7/22/06- YARD SALE DAY! Wow! We did really well! We got rid of a BUNCH of stuff- I couldn't believe it! This cleared out a lot of space in the garage, so we were able to really clean it up and sweep it out, and its much better now. It was also nice to make a little extra money since things are a little tight now with me staying home this year with the boys. Aaron helped by watching the boys inside, but we would take turns and by the last hour, all of us were out there together. Thanks boys!
7/21/06- Another trip to Chattanoooga! My ring was supposed to be ready after 12pm, so we hit some craft stores, like AC Moore, Michaels, and Hobby Lobby. I was looking to see if they had those photo boxes on sale, but no such luck. However, Caleb did spot a tub of foam "Cars" stickers in a tub. I saw a sign and it said they were on sale, so I made sure, and they were!! So, we got those- we were both excited about that!
We went to CiCi's pizza for lunch and had a great time. Then, after we picked up my ring, we headed home. Both boys fell asleep on the way home, so that worked out great. They were both great and I was proud to be there Mommy- as usual!
7/20/06- I have planned to have a yard sale on Saturday, because I am really trying to de-clutter and get rid of some things. So, I spent today working on that. First though, the boys and I ran to get our new tag for the van (hard to believe we've had if for a year already!) and to Lowe's to exchange something. At Lowe's, I put both boys in one of those race car carts- oh! I wish I had had my camera- they were so cute!!!
After lunch, I worked in the garage getting things setup for the yard sale. Hopefully everything will work out.
7/18/06- Today the boys and I went to Chattanooga. I really needed to work on my classroom at church since I'm teaching this quarter and also, one of the prongs on my engagement ring seemed loose, causing the diamond to be loose, so I definitely wanted to get that in to be checked. I dressed Daniel in an outfit I've been wanting to get his picture taken in, just in case they weren't too busy at JCPenney's Portrait Studio, because I've been wanting to get his picture taken for the last 6 weeks and we've just been so busy!!!!
We went to the mall first to see about the picture and my ring. We ended up bumping into Lisa, Lorence, and Laney, and Lisa's mom! That was a surprise and the kids enjoyed seeing each other. I had to have my ring tightened and fixed, so I had to turn it over to them. I had brought my diamond papers, so they took down the information and had me sign something for liability. They said it would be ready on Friday.
It turned out that JCP was not that busy, and Ali was actually training a girl, and just asked us to come back in an hour. I love that she remembers us everytime we come in! She said right away, "oh, it's the Collins boys!"
We went around to a few places, and I fed Daniel right before, so he was nice and happy for the photo shoot. Daniel did FABULOUS! I can't wait to post the pictures!! We did the first few in the cute basketball outfit (that he's just about outgrown- it's a 6-9 month for 16-19 lbs...and he's just about outgrown it!) Then, she asked if there were any other shots I wanted, and I told her I've been thinking about the bath tub shots for him, because he's just so cute in the bathtub!! Well, we did those, too, and he was absolutely adorable! It was so hard to pick in the end. Caleb was very good during all of this, too. I was thankful for that.
We got a bite to eat and by that time, it was time for naps, so we headed over to the church building. My goal was to have the boys nap while we were there, so they could nap while I worked on my classroom! Daniel fell asleep on the way, so I just laid him on a blanket in one of the other classrooms. Then, I got Caleb settled in another room on a blanket. Both boys napped for almost 2 hours and allowed me to get A LOT done. Thanks, boys!!!
7/17/06- Today I spent the day doing laundry and trying to get the house put back together, since we've been traveling som much lately! After I had folded some clothes upstairs on our bed, Caleb came in and wanted to help. So, I handed him a stack of his underwear and asked him to put them in his top drawer. He put them in and ran back to see if there were anymore of his clothes, so I handed him some of his socks. On the way back to our room, he said, "Mommy, thank you for washing my clothes for me." How many 3 year olds say that? Especially 3 year old boys! Well, I have to say, his daddy is a good example. Aaron is always thanking me for things: dinner, laundry, cleaning house, and Caleb has picked up on it! Good job Daddy AND Caleb!
Caleb is doing a much better job about being regular with his manners. There are still moments when he forgets, but for the most part, it seems to have finally "sunk in!" You're doing great, Caleb! Mommy and Daddy are so proud of you- keep it up!
7/15/06- We had a nice morning with Nana and Papa, and then we headed back home after lunch. It was a nice visit and we definitely want to see the trains again in the future.
7/14/06- Today we went to the park for the trains! Mom and Dad (aka Nana and Papa) are only about 10 minutes from the Maury County Park, and at this park they have a huge track setup there for minature steam engines and trains that people can actually ride! (That's what that "Midsouth Live Steamer" site is on the front page of the website!) The tracks are only 7 inches wide and they have the track setup throughout the park. 3 times a year, people who build these steam engines, bring them down to this park and use them on these tracks, and allow people to ride on them. Caleb absolutely LOVED it, especially since he is so into trains. Daniel even got to ride- I strapped him in front of me in the Snugli Baby Carrier, and he just enjoyed the ride. We all had so much fun- Aaron videotaped us, so I'll have to post video clips of us on the boys' website when we get back home. I think no matter what age you are, you would have a blast!
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