15 month appointment

Yes, I do realize Cade is 17 months old now but I kind of forgot to take him to his 15 month appointment. I had called to go ahead and schedule his 18 month check up when they informed me I still hadn't seen the doctor for his 15 month.

What can I say, I'm a horrible mother!

They got him in right away considering we're going to have to go back for more shots in just another month.

Cade did surprisingly well considering he received three shots. The first two weren't too bad but the last one stung a little so he cried pretty hard. I hate having to hold him down while the mean ol' nurse sticks him with needles.

The doctor had a concern with the fact Cade has not gained any weight since his 12 month check up. He weighed in at a whopping 20 lbs. 3 oz. They said if he hadn't eaten breakfast that morning, he probably wouldn't have even hit the 20 lb. mark.

At 12 months, he was in the 5% ranking for his weight. Now, he's not even on the charts. He is below the curve altogether.

Eating is not an issue with him. He eats more than Cody and Ty combined. My child is a pig! If you have been around him, you know!

So, the doctor decided to get some blood work. We had to go to the lab down the hall where they could draw blood from his tiny vein. I thought he would freak out but he actually did great. He whined a little when they first stuck the needle in his arm but then just watched it as they filled three tubes up with my baby's blood! Cade did MUCH better than me. I wanted to puke!

Cade liked wearing the bright green tape around his arm that stopped the bleeding. It was a couple hours before I could convince him to let me take it off. I guess it made him feel tough!

I didn't have my camera with me so this is just a cell phone picture but it will have to do. You can see the green tape around his left arm!

I had to go pick the other kids up at a friend's house where Cade had a popsicle so that is why his shirt was off. I don't just take my child out in public without a shirt on...just to let you know!


Hopefully the weight thing is nothing, but we'll find out soon enough.

Lake Arcadia

Sunday morning we got a call from a teacher T.J. works with demanding we head to the lake where they had been camping all weekend and spend the day. We didn't have anything planned so we decided to take her up on the offer.

We were not fully awake when she called so we didn't realize we agreed to spend the entire day outside when it was supposed to be over 100 degrees!

The lake is not far from us at all, just on the other side of the freeway. It's where I take the kids to Storybook Forest to trick-or-treat at Halloween.


The kids really liked getting to swim in the lake. They all had to wear life jackets though, including Cade.


His was a little too big for him but it was better than getting a hefty fine if we were caught without him wearing one.


He loved sitting in the warm water with McKinly. Look at his face, he was very excited.

Daddy, Cody, and Cade

Daddy, Ty, and Cody seeing how deep the water got in the swim area



Cade's favorite thing was to sit at the edge of the water and throw rocks



After swimming we headed back to the campsite and had some watermelon...the kids favorite!

The kids chowing down. Cody was the only one who took the time to look up!


Cade loves him some watermelon


The kids were exhausted by this point though.

Little boys + no nap = one stressed out momma

Catching Up

I have a lot of catching up to do! The trip to Houston kind of threw me off a bit. I just uploaded all the pictures from my camera and realized I still had pictures from the 4th of July I have not even posted. So I am going to try and catch up on everything we have been up to this month.

The 4th of July for starters...

We went with my mom (prior to knee surgery obviously), Aunt Chandler, and Shelby to meet some friends to watch the local fireworks.


Cody waiting for the fireworks to start...not too happy I am taking his picture

Cade taking a break from all the playing. I told him to say "cheese" and this is what I got!



He was more interested in the watermelon than playing...big surprise there!!

Tristin and Cody toasting "cheers" during the fireworks



Daddy and Cade watching the fireworks



The kids watching the show



It was the very next week when the boys and I took the trip to Houston to be with my mom. I wasn't with the boys much but I did get to slip away and go to Market Street with Pam, Tasha, Chandler and the boys for dinner one night. The boys had a great time and got to play in the fountains after dinner!


Cade loved all the bright colors



The boys would wait for the water to shoot up



Sometimes it caught them by surprise!



He didn't even mind the water splashing him in the face



Cody, on the other hand, didn't let the water go near his face



I had to leave shortly after they played in the water to go back to the hospital for awhile. Aunt Pammy took Aunt Chandler and the boys home and made sure they were safe and sound before leaving them. I don't think it was long before they passed out. When I came home, this is what I found...


The next day I had to leave the boys with Uncle Jonathan and when I returned I found them passed out again.


But this time, it was three in the afternoon and the boys were still wearing their jammies. If you notice Cody still has a diaper on. He only has to wear a diaper at night which means Uncle Jonathan never took it off of him! Gotta love guy babysitters!

That pretty much catches us up for the most part. Since we have been back we haven't done too much. I have been in a lot of pain the past couple days and I am exhausted. It's time for this baby to come out!!

Not for the weak!

Just in case there are a few of you out there who were curious of what my mom's knees look like...I have pictures. Well they are just cell phone pictures but they will do. I have to post them now because if my mom finds out I have pictures of her knees posted on the Internet for all to see, she might be a little upset. However, it will be a long time until she gets too upset because they still have her on some pretty good drugs!

And I do mean good drugs! I just got off the phone with my little brother, who is at the hospital keeping my mom company right now, and he just informed me how my mom was telling him all about the little animals who washed her hair for her. These were nice, clean, sanitized, animals who even wore gloves while washing her hair!!

Oh the fun we will have making fun of her for years to come!!

Alright, if you have gotten this far you're brave enough to see the photo!

Now do you see why I needed to drive down there and take care of my mommy?? Poor Woman!

Busy! Busy! Busy!

We have been SO busy! We had my mom, little sister, and niece up here for a week. They went home Wednesday the 9th. My mom was scheduled to have surgery (a double knee replacement) on the 15th. I wasn't going to be able to go down to Houston since the baby is due in less than a month but after realizing my family needed me down there, I talked to my doctor and got permission to drive the 7 hours and spend the week with my mom and family.

So Monday night I packed the boys up and we headed out for Houston. T.J. had to stay behind and work in order to help pay for this unexpected trip so he couldn't go with us. I am so glad I went though. Nothing goes as planned and I still have a little sister at home who isn't old enough to drive, let alone stay by herself.

The surgery went really well. My mom's knees are beautiful! Well, they will be in time, lots and lots of time! The couple days following her surgery were a little scary though. My mom wasn't adjusting well to not being in control and not being able to move. It was a tad scary because she has had prior heart attacks so the most important thing was getting her to stay calm. She did end up having to receive two units of blood on Thursday but after that she started feeling better.

I spent the majority of the week at the hospital while my sisters, great friends (thanks Aunt Pammy) and family switched off taking care of the boys! I felt like I didn't see them all week but I don't think they noticed...they were entertained and probably never even thought about me! They even got to spend the night at Aunt Leslie's house and with a house full of toys and kids, they couldn't have been happier!

By Friday, my mom started doing MUCH better. Her spirits were up, she was able to stand up for the first time with a walker (they had tried the other two days but she just couldn't do it, the pain was too strong), and I was even able to wash her hair for her which made her feel so much better!

I hung out at the hospital all of Friday morning and some of the afternoon then headed back to my mom's house to pack up our stuff and the boys so we could head back to Oklahoma. We ended up not leaving my mom's house until after 4 and then stopped and had dinner with my sister. Needless to say, we didn't start driving back to Oklahoma until 6:30!! I figured the boys were so tired from their exciting week it might be better to let them sleep the whole trip than it would be to wait until the next morning when they would be wide awake. We pulled in our driveway at 12:15am! I was ready for bed, the boys were ready to play with daddy!

All and all, it was a good trip. I wish I could have stayed longer and helped out more since my mom will be in the hospital at least another week. However, I was taking a big chance going down there in the first place so I had to get back so I could be close to my doctor. I didn't want to take the chance of having an out of network doctor deliver this baby and then have to spend the next few months fighting insurance to cover the costs!!

We're home now, safe and sound. My mom is doing great and my little sister is taken care of. My job is done!

Baby News!

I had another doctor appointment yesterday. It doesn't feel like they should be every two weeks already. This pregnancy has gone by so fast. I think the other kids have kept me so busy I don't have time to think about it!

That is probably why I have not posted much about this little one. He is not forgotten, I promise. I just have so much going on with the other kiddos that I forget to mention when I find new things out about this little guy!

It wont be long, a little over a month, until we get to meet this little man! The doctor has scheduled me to be induced on August 14th! I can't believe it will be that soon!

Oh and since I have gotten a few requests for a belly shot, I guess I will try to get a picture soon and post one.

Beware, my belly is HUGE!

Tie Dye

The kids are getting a little burnt out on swimming since we do it nearly every day. I'm getting a little burnt out on doing the same thing over and over again.

So when the kids decided they wanted to tie dye shirts, I agreed. It was easy, took up a lot of time, and best of all, we did it at a friend's house...not mine!!


McKinly, Hope, Laney, Tristin, and Cade painting their shirts



Ty concentrating on dying his shirt



Cody was more interested in playing with his friends



But he did end up with a shirt, thanks to Mommy!


I didn't get any pictures of the finished products but I do have green dye on my hands even three days later!

Picking Blackberries

I am always trying to find things to do to keep the kids busy during the summer. So when Cody told me he wanted to go "berry picking" because he saw it on Go, Diego Go I decided to look on the Internet and see if there was a place we could go around here.

Little did I know, there is a blackberry farm only 10 minutes down the road.

Cody was very excited to go especially since My mom, my sister Chandler, and my niece Shelby are in town!


Cody picking his berries



I think Cade enjoyed picking berries even more than his brother



Walking through the bushes with Nana



Cody found a little bunny and was able to get pretty close

Cade, Aunt Chandler, and Shelby



He got tired of walking around and tried to cut through an opening in the bushes



Cody showing off all his blackberries



His work didn't end there, I made him wash all the berries when we got home


Now if I could just get my mom to hurry up and make me my Blackberry Cobbler!

We Love the Zoo

Actually we have a Zoo Season Pass so it's something else we can do without spending much money. The kids do love the zoo, even when it feels like a million degrees outside!

Cody, McKinly, and her friend Madi



Oklahoma Trails



Cade just chillin'



We got to see the Giraffes this time. We usually don't because it's a really long walk to that side of the zoo and I'm 8 months pregnant! It's not something I'm up for every time we're there.



It was really hot so the kids took every chance to cool off


Cody got a little too wet



We didn't have as many kids this trip

The kids had a great time and are ready to go back...I don't think I'm quite there but give us a week stuck in the house and I'll be up for anything.