it was the best of times. it was the worst of times.

ok, so let me explain. today started off pretty well (and by today i mean everything that happened after picking up the boy from school at 5pm....i'm not so good with time frames- sue me)

the mister & i decided to surprise the boy with a picnic dinner in the park. he adores picnics. we adore 78 degree weather. win-win, no? it was delightful. we ate. played. ran. laughed. chatted. and hunted for dinosaur bones....typical park stuff.

so, what about the worst of times, you say? well, that happened when we came back home. the boy opened the freezer looking for a popsicle and stumbled upon a container of ice cream. yup, i know- something that should never, ever be in our house. well, it was. uhthankyouverymuch, bi-lo buy one-get one.  oh, and in case you're new here- the boy has severe food allergies. anyway, before i could even blink, he had the top pulled off and had scooped out a bit with his hand and popped it into his mouth. uh- to the-oh. i grabbed him, pulled out most of the bite, scoured his mouth and hands, then got him into the tub so i could really clean him and monitor his breathing. about 2 minutes later, he started coughing and choking- gasping for breath and turning bright red. i was hopping up to grab his epipen when he vomited all over the tub. long story short, once he stopped crying and panicking, his breathing returned to normal. i gave him benadryl and he is being very closely monitored tonight.

i am exhausted. i'm so, so grateful that it wasn't any worse than it was. i cannot tell you how scared i was, and-even though i consider myself a food allergy pro- how unsure i felt about what to do.

i don't record these moments to get sympathy but to make people aware of how fast it can happen and how little it takes. i mean, who could imagine that plain ol' vanilla ice cream could be so devastating to a 2 year old? i also want my sweet boy to be able to look back on this blog one day and know how real, and how frightening these reactions were. i want him to know so he doesn't put himself in a situation like this.

anyway, that's all i've got...i'm simply spent.

a very, very big thank you to my mom for talking me through it and giving me moral support over the phone. it's amazing how very much us mommies still need our mommies.

planes, trains & automobiles...

aside from our saturday night date- which included a mani/pedi, dinner & movie for both the Mister & i- we spent most of the weekend hanging around the house. 

but don't you worry....bored we were NOT.

did you know you can travel the world from your very own bed? or couch? or even a stepladder?

let me explain.....

this weekend our bed became a boat- with alligators and sharks all around it, which we fought off with vacuum attachments. the couch became a car- made for playing drive-thru "soupy-market". the stepladder? an airplane for flying to gammy and gampy's. oh, and i shouldn't forget to give a shout out to the scatter rugs at our front and side doors. one served as the beach- where we shared many a picnic, and the other as the gwass where we played baby puppies and dined on bones.

so, as i said we certainly were not bored this weekend. and because of this, we certainly were not relaxed either.

i love playing with my boy and watching him grow. his vocabulary. his imagination. his heart.

these days, while exhausting, are my very favorite. this is the stuff i'll always hold on to and smile about. but i can tell you, without a doubt, i will be enjoying my 3 day weekend by taking a big ol' nap tomorrow.

be mine.

i love valentine's day. i mean, any excuse to celebrate love is welcomed by me, but this day- this lovely heart-filled day- takes the cake (or the dairy-free, heart-shaped, pink rice krispie treat, as the case may be).

i want the boy to love it as much as i do, if for no other reason than the excuse to indulge all day on all things sweet. 

pretty sure i can check that off my list...he loved it. from the wee hours of the morning- when he woke up weady for the pah-ty- to the last moments of bed time- when he thanked baby Jesus for vawentimes.

as for the Mister and I, we'll be celebrating this weekend. can't wait.

Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law

-Romans 13:8

oh my...

has it really been almost 9 days since i last blogged? oh dear...

things have been busy. and an on-the-fritz computer hasn't helped either. 

such is life, no?

i promise to be better. starting tomorrow....

but until then, i'll leave you with these.

my littlest valentine readying himself for the big day.

love. love. love.



weekend update....the late night edition.

my boy & i had quite the weekend. we managed to squeeze in just about everything we had planned.

a haircut kicked off the festivities. he. was. so. good. pretty sure i've never seen him sit so still. the promise of a pop pop probably didn't hurt either.

and then, a most wonderful  surprise. mamaw & papaw called to announce they'd be picking up the boy to whisk him away for a few hours of fun.



watching & waiting for papaw's car to arrive....



he had such a good time. creative discovery museum + carousel in coolidge park= very happy guy. (oh, and mommy got to take a wee nap & go get a mani/pedi...not too shabby)

that is, until he had to come home. poor boy cried for at least 20 minutes.

once he got over the disappointment of having to hang out with his mother for the rest of the weekend, we enjoyed a little rocking on the front porch. watching the rain and sharing stories about our day. love.

we wrapped up the day with a little crafting. well, ok, mommy did most of the crafting. the boy worked on his paper cutting skills.

lots of concentration. and lots of celebration at the big accomplishment.

and just in case you're wondering....we did finally make it to the lellow choo choo. the boy was awarded the honor of ringing the bell to his heart's content. quite the deal.

i'd say it was a pretty successful weekend. and the boy confirmed it when he told me we best fwiends, mama.

yes we are, my sweet moose.

busy. busy. busy.

so, the boy & i are on our own this weekend. the Mister is out of town on a superbowl/casino trip with some of his work chums. he leads a pretty rough life, no?

i was hoping for some more of this beautiful weather, but sadly rain is in the forecast. so, what to do?

a trip to the choo choo is in order (ie requested everyday for the last 3 months by the boy. the poor dear is under the assumption it's been closed for all this time...hmm...can't imagine where he comes up with these things.), however if the rain is too terrible this will not be happening (i know, i know...i'm just plain cruel).

valentines for the boy's class must be started. perhaps a crafternoon is on tap.

there are applesauce muffins to be made. lots of laundry to do. bathrooms to be cleaned. a boy to be entertained. and one very sweet yet very miserable, post-surgical schnauzer to be cared for.

really hoping the boy feels naps are as essential to this weekend as i do.



weekend update.

it's been a pretty mellow weekend. lots of lounging. lots of legos. and lots and lots of enjoying the pretty weather.

the sunshine is affecting even the boy. this afternoon we played beach outside for over 2 hours. despite the fact that he was wearing a jacket and a hat, he packed up his umbrella (a large stick), his shovel (a smaller stick), and his key to the boat (yup, you guessed it, another stick). we walked down the block making our way to the ocean before plopping down in the road/ someone's front yard to have a picnic with fruits. then we hopped into the boat (a brick patio) and fought off the sharks trying to bite our toes all before heading to the pool for a swim. it's a real shame i didn't get any pics of us "swimming" down the block...i'm pretty sure the neighbors were loving it.

loving my boy and his wonderful imagination.

playing catch-up...a twofer.

last week was pretty rough. my boy was very sick and to add fuel to the fire, the Mister was out of town on business.  bad timing? you betcha.

but we managed to survive the week and this one has been much, much better.

(well, mostly....another story for another time.)

so, without further adieu, here are the two highlights of the week's end. almost a week late. pathetic.

the Mister's homecoming. he was missed so very much. especially by mommy.

and our anniversary dinner. 'twas lovely. and much needed.

oh, and in case you're wondering if the boy is feeling better...

 this evening for dinner he asked me to make him cereal with milk, blueberries, crackers with sunbutter, crab legs, and jelly toast.

pretty sure he's gonna make it.

cabin fever.

it has been 5 days and my sweet boy is no better.

his high fever is still lingering.

his upset tummy is still, well, upset.

and now his lungs are sounding horrible.

so horrible, in fact, that his pediatrician thinks he might be developing pneumonia.

while we are waiting on results & starting an antibiotic and some breathing treatments, we have been busying ourselves at home.

and by busying i mean resting, reading, relaxing, snuggling, trying to feel better, and playing cars.

 what? you didn't think he could forgo fun altogether, did you?

not this boy.

the new boots that arrived in the mail from gammy & gampy were the highlight of the week. pretty sure he'll be wearing them EVERYDAY (with or without clothes)

prayers, please, for my little guy. he's a tough cookie, but this has been rough on him.

and on mommy, too.

lots of love. and a side of puke.

three years ago today i married my buddy. my bestie. my Mister. 

'twas a magical evening.

the perfect place.

friends and family.

candlelight.

laughter.

and lots and lots of love.

three years later things are a bit different.

we are now a little family.

life is busy.

and sometimes it feels like it gets in the way.

but, even with all of that, there is still lots of love.

even more than on that day, three years ago.

so, what did i do on this here anniversary, you ask?

well, i played nurse...nope, not that kind.

the real kind- as in sick patient and all.

the boy is sick.

i mean really, really miserable.

high fever. vomiting.  the whole shebang.

we've spent the last 3 days snuggling on the couch.

watching way too much nick jr..

eating popsicles. and not much else.

taking cold baths.

reading books.

and doing laundry. lots & lots of laundry.

my heart breaks for my sweet boy. he feels absolutely terrible.

there is a silver lining, however.

my normally very busy bee is not so busy.

this virus has slowed him to a snail's pace.

and all he wants to do is snuggle mama.

so, that's what i do.

of course, i'm soaking up every single moment of it.

i know it won't last.

but i sure am loving all of this love.

so, while this anniversary is not how i would have planned it.

my day has been filled with lots of love, nonetheless.

needless to say, the Mister & i will be celebrating next weekend.

fingers crossed there will be no vomit involved.



bedtime prayers.

the boy's bedtime prayers tonight went a little something like this....

baby jesus, jack pway thank you for

jack's school,

food,

mama,

daddy,

papaw,

gampys (ie: gammy &gampy)

mamaw,

papaw,

challah (yup, challah bread...you read that correctly),

fends (friends),

da sky,

pop pops (lollipops),

elles (ie: elle & olivia...our mini schnauzers),

papaw,

gill (his frog),

and cookies- BIG cookies.

thank you, baby jesus.

amen.

over the moon for my sweet, silly boy.

this little town of mine...

have you heard?

...check out #25...

so, i'll be the first to admit... when we first moved to chattanooga i wasn't exactly jazzed about it. i mean, it was ok and all, but i just wasn't so sure it was somewhere i'd want to stay. to put down roots.

well, last summer changed all of that. the boy & i spent our days discovering our city & checking out all it's hot spots. and lo and behold, i found out that we live in a pretty cool place. yes, we have beautiful mountains and an awesome downtown...but the coolest part? (at least according to me) chattanooga has a ton of history. and a great arts culture.  

and while i miss being coastal, i'm learning to love this little ol' city.

and seeing as i'm raising a chatty native..my little southern gent... it will always hold a very special place in my heart.

...weekend update...

part one- 'Pump It Up'...

part two- papaw's birthday dinner...

 part three- tape measure guy...intimidating in his reindeer jammies, no?