A Really Fun Weekend: Labor Day Weekend

Wow-wow-wow-wow.
I really can't believe all that we did in ONE weekend.  Wow.  Matt had a 4 day weekend and the boys had a 3.

Matt and I had known about the upcoming Boise State vs Ole Miss game in ATL for a while.  We talked a bit about going, but never made any real plans.
I started looking into tickets, and then Matt was able to score some free tickets through the Moral and Welfare department at his base… "Well, now, we should go!"  And then a really dear friend of mine worked it all out that should could keep the boys for us over night and send them to school the next day.  "Holy smokes!  We could really go to the game!"   And so we did.

On Thursday I checked the boys out early for school, then a friend came over and watched them while Matt and I headed to ATL.   We checked into our hotel around 5, then headed downtown to get to the Georgia Dome.
We had some pretty fun seats in the end zone, but what was really fun was having my parents meet us there (from B'ham) and watch the game with us!  Like I said, Matt had free tickets--A LOT of free tickets, haha.   We screamed our heads off, enjoyed talking to other fans, meeting some of Matt's friends who came from other areas in the South to watch the game, and just really had a great time being adults together without the worry of children's needs… Make sense?
BSU ultimately lost, and Matt was ultimately devastated.  Poor guy.

Matt and I left ATL the next morning (Friday) and headed back home.  Had to get back to coastal GA before the boys got out of school.  Once they were picked up and we were home we just took a really chill afternoon.  I decided to try and start making new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle shells, and then we probably went to the pool!

Saturday morning I went into Savannah to pick up a few more items for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle shells, and Matt took the boys into the woods to shoot their BB guns.  Titus knocked down a small tree and called it his "bo staff"… Ninja Turtle mode all the way!  
The afternoon was spent having family time, hanging out, trying to escape the heat, and playing games.  Titus was really into the idea of learning to play chess!

Sunday was church.  Again, lots of family time afterwards and lots of sewing of Turtle Shell sewing.  Oh, and lots of heat escaping.  August heat and humidity is awful.  Blah.

Monday we went to Hilton Head and had such a great time!  We've gone to a few beaches around here, but we're pretty sure Hilton Head is our favorite place to go.  Really nice time, I tell ya.  The boys are getting to that age were I don't have to worry about them all the time.  They can jump and swim in the waves almost without us being right next to them.
And this time the waves were a really nice size but the under-toe (or "ripe-tide") wasn't strong at all.  MAN!  We really did have a fabulous time!  However we lost 2 sets of googles, Titus almost lost his shorts, and I lost my pair of sunglasses.  Those waves were kind of strong!
That evening when we got back and were all showered and rested, I finished the Ninja Turtle shells.  I did all four this time.  Fun stuff!

Wow.  I still can't believe that was ONE weekend.  Goodness.

 

Eli: "I Am ____"

"Spi-da-han!" [Spiderman]
"Dar Bay-der!" [Darth Vader]
"Buzz Digh-years!" [Buzz Lightyear]

When Eli dresses up, or just pretends to be, one of his favorite characters, he states: "I AM _______!" (Fill in the blank with any of the 3 mentioned above.

Currently his favorite character to be is Spiderman.  Sometimes he dresses up but usually he is just in his underwear; jumping, spinning, flipping on the couches or bunk bed (bunk bed is awesome because he can swing on it).  "I am Spi-da-han! I am Spi-da-han!"

Though it's a little tricky to figure out when he is character or not.  Sometimes he's flipping and I say, "Wow, look at you Spiderman!" He angrily replies, "No! I E-i, not Spi-da-han..." and then he starts to cry. 

But even though his is a little hard to handle (even when he's happy), we love him.  He makes life fun and intresting. 
And look at those pink lips!! There isn't anything better to this mama of a heart baby than to see the heart baby's lips/nose/mouth full of fleshy color (instead of blue/grey).

His bum cracks me up!  Remind anyone else of Nacho Libre's "stretchy pants"?

A Wacky Weekend

Yeah.  It was weird.

Saturday was nice outside, but way windy.  And our babysitter had to cancel because she got sick, so we went out with the boys but it wasn't that fun.  And nobody seemed to have a lot of energy.

Saturday highlights:
I ran 9.6 miles, with up and down hills at a 10 minute per mile pace--pretty proud actually.  Matt studied. Eli's eye became a wonder overnight.  Titus fell a lot.  And Isaac wanted to be naked all day.

On Sunday morning Matt left at 6:30 for the George C. Marshall award/seminar in Virginia, I made some cupcakes before the boys woke up, planned out my lesson, then got everyone ready. But I was still late for church. And the sacrament meeting went WAY long, so the Bishop decided to cancel the last hour, so there was no primary and my lesson wasn't used. Weird.

Sunday afternoon was nice.  Me and the boys watched a movie together, ate popcorn, then had some lovely outside time.  The boys ran around our little neighbor friend who is Titus' age and an only child.  The father of this child is a Korean that grew up in Florida, had some college days at Auburn, and is now a sushi chef in Boise. Later that night he dropped off some asian influenced short-ribs--which me and the boys devoured.
That night we talked to Matt on the phone,  I put the boys down, then I went to be around 10pm and had a great sleep.

Also I dressed us up for church with color! I went color crazy with the boys. It was fun, and I like how it turned out.  I took little snippets of me... well as much as the 50mm would allow.

Into the Swing

Alright, here we go. Into another semester of school and on with life.

Things have been all out of sorts for the last month with Eli's surgery, Matt starting school, Isaac starting, and I've been having a hard time trying to remember how to schedule our lives.  I mean before the month of August me and the boys were playing in Bama and swimming everyday--just doing whatever we wanted to do! But that had to end, I now have to really figure out a grocery list and I really have to stick to a bed time.

So farewell Summer of Whatever! It was so nice to just lay and do... well, whatever!

Though I may sound a little depressed that Summer of Whatever had to end, I'm actually a bit excited for our future! Can I just say how happy I am about Eli and his progress? Can I say it? Please? Okay, I will. Eli is such a happy kid. Life after the Fontan Procedure (which he had in August, which made his heart plumbing work better and the blood more separated) is truly amazing! 

We were at the doctor's office yesterday and Eli's blood saturation was 95!! 95 WITHOUT OXYGEN!! That is amazing. He hasn't been in the 90s since his birth. Eli now has such pink lips, and pink nose, and pink fingers. He runs without being weary, he walks without faint. He is a happy boy, willing to be part of activities. 

To sum up: I'm sad that we can't do whatever and now have to really work on a schedule, but I'm happy that all my children are healthy and happy. It's a good give and take. 

Here's some pictures of us within the last two weeks, trying to figure life out again as a family of 5 with multiple schedules being worked around:

Matt home from morning ROTC PT, having one on one time with Titus and the fridge.

Isaac's first day of preschool! Eli had to join in on the fun too. 

Dressing up as super heros!

When my mom was here, my sister Ashley came over for a weekend too. 

She brought her son Luke. So here are the four cousins, all of my parents' grandchildren.

Masquerade!

Though we are not attending any ball in the near future, the boys the week--specifically Isaac--have been dressed up with masked faces.

Thanks to the Batman mask given to Isaac by friend Caleb, Isaac's new obsession are masks. He commissioned he Grammie (my mom) to make more masks, some for his brothers and another for his friend Will.

Titus, the superhero the can melt the hearts all that look upon him

Isaac and Will, Batman and Robin

Together in their "Batcave!"