Thanksgiving weekend

We had a wonderful Thanskgiving. We missed hanging with our family, but it was so nice and relaxing to stay home. We had yummy food (Trevor and Keva can seriously cook a turkey) and fun times with good friends. On Friday we even put up our decorations. We just have to decorate the outside (and hopefully win the neighborhood prize). Here are a few pics from our weekend.

Our lil turkey

I think the triptafan kicked in...

A semi-successful family of four picture

The best picture we have of both boys

Zeke enjoying helping decorate

So many words!/15 month stats

Zeke has become quite the talker. It is so fun hearing him say new words. He will repeat almost anything we ask. I love hearing everything he says in the video, but the last part is the BEST! Since this video was taken he has been working on "Merry Christmas", once he gets it down I'll post a new video.

And I just realized that I never gave Zeke's stats from his dr. appointment this past week. He is 24 lbs (50%), his head is also 50% and I can't remember his length, but it was 25%. So, yeah we have a cute shrimp. Zeke got three shots at his appointment. By Tuesday afternoon, he was swollen, red, warm to the touch , tough feeling and bruised. I had Spence take him back to the dr (yes, that makes us up to 24 visits for this kid). They said he was just having a reaction and not an infection, but to keep an eye on it. He has never reacted to any other shots, and all three were boosters or second in a series. I thought it was a little odd, but I am crossing my fingers that it was a one time thing.

Zeke's first love

Zeke continues to love airplanes. We enjoy going to the observation park a lot. Zeke started a new way of showing his fascination. You can't hear him, but as he bobs his body he is chanting airplane, airplane, airplane.

Bond Park

We got to hang out with the Gastons last weekend. We had fun at Bond Park. It is so interesting to see the differences in the personalities of the boys. Holt is wide open with exploring. He climbed up the play structures and would go down the slides with his dad, mom and Noni (Katie's mom). Zeke was much more hesitant and spent more time observing what all the other kids were doing. It's going to be so much fun watching the two grow up together.

Holt apparently had the keys so he got to drive...

It's hard to take a good picture on a swing

Climbing

And of course the daddies had to play and join the fun

Giving Thanks

We are spending Thanksgiving with these fun people:

We will miss seeing these people:




But we are excited to have Thanksgiving in our home and share with friends who can't be with their family far away. They are part of our family here, and we are so thankful they want to spend the day with us.

I have so much to be thankful for as always. I am so thankful that Jesus loves me more than I even love myself. Even in my most horrible selfish moments, I know that he is my Savior and there is nothing that I can do to make him love me more and yet there is nothing that I can do to make him love me any less. I have an amazing, God-fearing, hunk, diaper changing, fun, my best friend forever husband. I have two incredible kids who just get cooler everyday. I have family and friends who are my ROCKS and help me through my crazy moments. I have a church that preaches and teaches the gospel at every opportunity. I really am a blessed girl.
Here are some fun pictures of people I am thankful for, if you aren't on here, it doesn't mean I am not thankful for you. It just means I may not have had a picture.

Getting to learn about parenting with these two has been a blast...

LOVE having a group that comes together each week and that I know is praying for my family as we walk through life together (these are some of our small group kiddos)

Godly women who hold me up and encourage my walk, but are also so fun

Friends far away... LOVE YOU and miss you

My sweet boys

Camera Shy

Zeke is a little camera shy... NOT! He loves the camera and is such a ham! He has started saying "Cheese!" when he sees the camera. He doesn't just love having his picture taken... he really likes having the camera.
Here are a couple of pictures to show his love...

Reaching for the camera

trying to work the pouty face

"CHEESE!"

Two boys

I'm having some trouble getting pictures of the boys together... Here are the best ones so far...

Zeke: "Ben, this is a phone. No, you are too young to play with it"

Zeke: "Hmmm.... what's going on over here"

Boys this week

This was a much better week, yay for no fevers! Here are some fun pictures that I wanted to share

Zeke sharing with Ben

You can't really tell, but this is Zeke giving Ben a kiss

Look at him holding his head up!!!

I am thinking of turning this one black and white...

I'm still not sure who he looks like, what do you think?

Yes, he is definitely mine and Spence's kid, look at that grin!

Absurd!

I just realized that my 15 month old son has had a ridiculous amount of doctors visits in his short life. Here is his tally: 22 peditrician, 1 dentist, 2 urologist, 1 allergist, and 2 ER visits. Then there is my 1 month old: 8 peditrician visits, 3 blood draws at a hospital, and 1 ER visit.
Anyone else think this is insane?

Mama's Boys?

Zeke is so interested in Ben. Here our attempts at getting pictures of the two of them together...

Trying to get the wiggle worm to sit still by talking to Ben

Zeke saying CHEESE!

Maybe Zeke likes crackers more than Ben...

Lifesong Photography

We had the opportunity to have pictures taken by Lisha and Johnny with LifeSong Photography. We had a blast just running around Duke Gardens with them. I would HIGHLY recommend using them if you have any picture needs. Here are a few of our favorite shots...

Looking a little grumpy

Checking things out

He actually liked being in this basket

Don't you want to just kiss those cheeks?

Check out those smiles!

He's so tiny

Zeke loved playing with these leaves

So proud of himself

I could just squeeze him

Ben's screaming at his Dada

Family of four!

Look what I found in a basket at Duke Garden!

Notice how much more excited Spence and I are...

Such a big boy

Deja Vu

That is what I felt Friday, when we took Ben's temperature and saw that it was 100.8. We know what fevers mean for babies. We have been here before, remember this. I called the doctor, we went, they sent us to the ER. Thankfully, I knew what was coming this time instead of hearing all this info for the first time. I was a LOT more emotional about everything this time, though. It may have been because Spence was home with Zeke and I was alone, or maybe because Ben is younger than Zeke was last year... I don't know, but I had a good cry in the car on the way to Wake Med and then was ok.
We were at Wake Med from 1-6 pm Friday. They did the whole work up, x-rays, spinal tap (yeah I know, but I would rather know he didn't have meningitis then find out too late), blood work, and anitbiotics. Once all of that came through, we found out that he had... a cold. Which is what we thought the whole time (Zeke, Spence, and I all have colds right now). We are thankful that Ben wasn't any younger because we would have had to stay 2 nights at the hospital.
I am thinking that I either need a personalized parking place right out from of the ER or a "frequent flyer" card to make checking in easier...
Please continue to pray for us. Yes, we are home, yes our son is healthy, but obviously those things can change so quickly.

They had to stick him 3 times to get his blood for the blood work, UGH!

So laid back...

The tourniquet (sp?) bruised him... he bruises like a peach!

This is how we found him when we came back in after the LP, he fell asleep while they did it!

catching up on sleep

We had a wardrobe change...