Recovering

We are recovering from one of the busiest weekends we've had in a while. Not that it wasn't fun, just super busy! Friday morning Brantlee and I did some grocery shopping while Collin and Kyle went to get "summer" haircuts. Both of their haircuts are super short, and I was told by Kyle not to say a word about it. I personally thought they both looked great! Except for the fact that Collin looks older and older the shorter these haircuts get!

Friday afternoon we had several special guests. Our cousin K'Lynne was home from Maryland to be in a friend's wedding, and she and Pammi came by for just a little while. Also, my dear friend Angela and sweet Amelia came by for a visit. We haven't seen them in over a year, and I was so, so glad they came. It took the girls a while to get reacquainted. This is a hard age for sharing, and neither girl really wanted to ;) It was pretty hilarious!! It was so fun to listen to their new phrases and words. They are so much alike! Maybe next time we get together they will be out of this phase and will want to be better friends. But by the end of the visit, they started playing better together. I just couldn't get over the expression on Amelia's face here! "I can't believe you are actually buying into this picture taking business, Brantlee. Seriously?"- ha

Here is Amelia giving B some love. B's face here is sooo her!

Amelia loved this chair. Cute, Cute!

Saturday morning was Collin's last t-ball game of the season. Fischer and Brantlee came to cheer him on.

Running to home plate!

Lining up to tell the other team "good game." I love this part! It's so cute.

Saturday evening we went to Mee Maw's house to visit K'Lynne and the rest of the family. We don't get to see her nearly enough, so we stayed as late we could. (Kyle didn't get to come. He locked himself in our room and worked on his never-ending paper to complete his schooling in August.) We had such a great time visiting that I didn't take a picture of her with the kids!

Sunday at church we had a meal fundraiser for the preschool department, and mom and I helped cook. Kyle got the kids to church all by himself. (I never doubted him.) Finally Sunday afternoon we got to rest. (Well, rest while writing a paper that's due Tuesday for my class!! Yikes!)

Somehow we managed to spend some time on the trampoline with the water hose. Does it get more fun than this??!! I really don't think so.

And check out this homemade contraption a patient gave us. The kids LOVE it!!

Miss Brantlee in the humidity and in all her curly-headed glory ;)

Happy Summer! Til next time.

Eyes

This is sort of a heavy post I guess. Life brings it's ups and downs, and I want to remember it all. So we can look back on things that seemed so big at the time, but in the grand scheme of things they are really very minor. Anyway, for the past several months or so, we have noticed some issues with Brantlee's eyes. At times, they don't seem to focus the same. The left eye in particular seems to drift away, especially when she is looking at things at a distance. We were referred to a terrific pediatric opthamologist in Hattiesburg. She was wonderful!! Brantlee could NOT have behaved and cooperated better. I was really concerned about an eye exam on a 1 1/2-year-old, but the Lord answered our prayer there.

However, Brantlee was diagnosed with a form of Strabismus (which is just a fancy word for a misalignment of the eyes.) Specifically, she has Exotropia (which just means her eye turns in an outward direction.) So far her eyes otherwise seem to be fine, which we are so grateful for!! Unfortunately this issue won't correct itself, and it will usually worsen if it isn't treated. The doc feels like the best treatment option for her case is surgery, not glasses or a patch like I hoped. But we aren't rushing into anything yet! She will be evaluated again in 6 months, and then we will go from there. We know she'll have to have it fixed at some point but probably not for another year.

The thought of eye surgery on your baby is a little (okay maybe a lot) terrifying. But the procedure seems very simple. It really just involves the eye muscles more than anything. I have such a peace about this because as a mother, I just knew something wasn't quite right... and now we have an answer - yet another answered prayer. Circumstances can ALWAYS be worse, and comparatively speaking this issue is nothing.

They had to dialate her eyes, so she got a cool new pair of shades from the doctor!

Again, she was so sweet throughout this whole ordeal even without a nap!

Happy Father's Day

We have spent the large majority of the day paying tribute to the very special men in our lives. I feel so blessed and honored to be given such precious dads!!

Kyle-
I've said this before, and I'll say it again: Kyle is the glue that holds us together. He knows just when to take over when he sees that I am on the verge of a breakdown. He changes diapers, whips up mac & cheese, brushes teeth, dresses the kids before church (this includes Brantlee), and so on and so on. He loves our little family, and we love him to pieces!! He always (okay, usually) finds the funny side in our attempt to raise a family. Let's be honest folks... It ain't easy.


Just try and keep a straight face while looking at some of these shots.

What can I say, the kid likes to just sport the undies some days- indoors and out.

No pictures PLEASE!


Don't get your hopes up. The love didn't last long.

This was Collin's idea. Can't you just see the potential here for a "bo-bo"?

But it worked!!

Not sure whose idea this was. And I am also not sure what is funnier looking, Collin with a bare butt in the freezer or Brantlee telling Collin what color popsicle she wants while scratching herself.

This is mischief in human form if I've ever seen it. And look closely and you can see the remnant of the Icee from Target.

I'll end on a sweet note with this pic from the Ghatti Town train ride.

You know that saying about finding a husband that's like your dad?? My precious daddy is one of the most loving, helpful, giving, funny, tender-hearted, and grounded people I know. In my life to date, I can't remember a time that I have gone more than 10 minutes without laughing out loud when he is around. He is one truly precious soul. I love you, Daddy!

helping Poppy with his gifts

G.P. is out of the country (again), and that was a real bummer :( We always miss him when he is gone, but especially today. Happy Father's Day to sweet, sweet Poppa! We love you so very much.

Beach Trip

We just got home from a wonderful beach vacation in Orange Beach! I really tried my best to narrow down our pictures to just give the highlights, but there are still lots and lots of pictures. What can I say, there are lots of highlights :) The weather could not have been better. We saw lots of sun and not a single drop of rain! Collin and Brantlee enjoyed the beach more than they did last year, but they still wanted to change activities like every 10 minutes. I think Nana and Poppa are completely worn out after this vacation, but I know they loved every minute of it!

Beach Bums!!

Up early and ready for the day ...

And out late looking for sand crabs.

Loving the water slide at the condo!!

Relaxing in the lazy river

Out for ice cream after dinner one night... Yummy!

Feeding the fish off the pier at one of the restaurants

Enjoying the fun atmosphere LuLu's Restaurant!

Family photo at LuLu's

The last evening of the trip

Of course this post wouldn't be complete without mentioning two lows of the trip. First, Kyle came down with the infamous stomach bug a couple of days before we left. It lasted a good five days, so unfortunately Kyle didn't feel his best for the first two or three days. The virus didn't stop there... Collin began having similar symptoms on day three of the trip as well. YUCK! The items below came in handy right along with the sunscreen :(

One thing that did NOT slow us down but is definitely worth mentioning was the unfortunate oil that crept up on the shore on Wednesday and Thursday :( The people on the Gulf Coast are fighting this disaster with all they have. To date, the beaches are still beautiful, and no one seemed to let a little oil ruin a good vacation. We all just pray conditions don't get too much worse.

Well that about sums it up. Looking forward to a low-key weekend to recover from vacation-ha!