An eventful night

My sweet Lincoln scared the crap out of me today. The boys and I had run to Target and I promised Kallen that we could have pizza for supper if he was good and stayed dry (almost potty trained!) the entire time. He did awesome so around 5:30 we headed on over to the food court, ordered our pizza, and sat down to eat it. I was feeding Lincoln bites of pepperoni pizza, and trying to keep Kallen in one spot so he could eat his, when Lincoln let out a terrible scream. I thought maybe he was trying to pass some gas or something so I grabbed him and started patting his back. He continued to scream uncontrolably (this is a child who Rarely cries and has Never screamed like this) so I loaded Kallen and our dinner up in the cart and started heading to the van. Lincoln screamed the entire way home and, I suppose it was my imagination, but I could have swore his lips were starting to swell. We got home, and Lincoln did not calm down at all so I decided it was time to take action. I called our clinic and told them I was coming in, then called my sister in Polk City to come get Kallen (Shawn had an away meet in Ames tonight), then ran Kallen over to the neighbors to hang out until Steph could get here.
By the time we got to the clinic, Lincoln had been screaming for an entire hour. (you know, that painful scream that kids make when you know something is wrong) I guess my mind just kept going to "allergic reaction" for some reason. None of us have allergies so I am not really sure why I even thought that is what it could be. After what seemed like forever, but in reality was probably only 5 minutes, the nurse took us back and started the usual routine. ( undress them down to the diaper, listen to their heart, take their temp, etc..) Lincoln began to calm down and as I layed him on the scale to be weighed he started giggling. (At this point I am thinking "You have got to be kidding me!")
As we waited for the doctor to come in (not our usual doctor whom I love) Lincoln began to explore the room, and by the time she came in he was smiling, jabbering, and dancing. She checked him over, glanced in his ears, and quickly said "Oh, he has a double ear infection". I asked how bad and her words were "Just your typical infection, not too bad!" She called in a prescription for amoxicillin and we were on our way back home. (Now- my opinion on doctors (especially any doctor besides our usual one who is basically the only one I trust), anti-biotics, and ear infection diagnosis's would lead into an entire new blog post....and a long one at that. Let's just say I have no plans to fill that perscription)
While I am very relieved that Lincoln is fine and that he was not, in fact, having an allergic reaction of any sort- it does really bother me that my child would cry- that painful, "mommy please make it stop"-cry for an entire hour and then just suddenly stop. And it especially bothers me to not have an answer as to what it could have been. (Kallen had at least 15 ear infections in his first 2 years of life, so I know what an ear infection looks like. And I really do not feel that Lincoln's crying had anything to do with his ears.) I suppose I may never know what was going on with my little boy- but lets just hope it never happens again! I am not a mother who freaks out easily, and i must say, Lincoln had me freaking out a little.
I guess when it is all said and done, I can only thank God for great neighbors, and awesome sister and b.i.l., hug my babies a little tighter tonight, and be thankful it was nothing serious!

Naptime Please!!!

"I don't care what you do as long as you stay in this room until I tell you that it's time to come out!"

These were my words to Kallen when he decided to come downstairs after a short 20 minute nap.

I NEED NAPTIME!!!

 I have found that it is absolutely crucial that I get at least an hour to myself to do the things that I need to do, or the rest of my day just spirals out of control. And when that happens, I loose all patience with my children, I find myself storming around the house frusterated at the chaos, and by the time my poor husband gets home from a long day at work....Watch Out!!!

Luckily Kallen plays pretty well in his room by himself.

Although today perhaps I should have been a little more specific on what I meant by "I don't care what you do". I do care when you hammer the walls with your plastic hammer (this kid swings a mean hammer- his room has many dents to prove it :/ ), throw books in the air and say "it's raining", and empty out all of your drawers, pull them out, then proceed to stack them saying "I built a tower!" - All of these things I have found him doing in the last 30 minutes.

Ah Kallen, I pray that someday you are able to put all of your energy, ingenuity, and mad hammer skills to good use!!

Center Grove Orchard

My sister and I made a last minute decision today to head up to Center Grove Orchard.

It is located near Cambridge and if you have not been there- it is Totally worth the drive!!



"I push Winken mommy!"

Little Stinker

They have a huge corn pit to play in and my boys LOVED it!!

Lincoln may have consumed some corn :P

"Mom- I want to walk like Kallen!"



They also have tons of animals! Goats, pigs, horses, chickens, turkeys, ducks- I'm probably forgetting some.

The goats were a big hit with my boys. 

And TONS of these paintings (what is the official name for these anyways?) to put your face in.

The tractor course was also a big hit.



And leave it to Kallen to spot, and get excited about the lawnmower.

We went on a wagon ride:

Jumped on a giant trampoline:

Practiced our bullriding:

And ended with a couple rides down the giant slide!

I did not get any pictures, but perhaps the best part of Center Grove Orchard is the fresh apple cider, and amazing caramel apples that call your name as you leave.

My boys must have had fun, because they both passed out as soon as we got in the car.

We had Perfect weather and it was a Great day!! 



Just for fun here are the first 10 months of Lincoln's life:

And here are the first 10 months of Kallen's life. :)

"Dear Jesus..."

There is nothing sweeter, right now, than Kallen's prayers!

There is something so special about catching that little glimpse into your childs mind- and oh how I savor his childhood innocence.

The fun part is- you just never know what he is going to say!

There are the usuals like: Mahma, Bampa, Jacob, Cole (Aunt Nichole), A-ee-a ( his cousin Alydia), Brant, Essie (Aunt Stephy), Karlee, and Uncle Casey. He NEVER forgets any of these!

And then there are random things: like last night when Shawn ask him if there was anything else he wanted to pray for and he said "Yes, this wall" and pointed to the wall beside him.

Or a couple nights ago when his prayer included "Happy GeeGay (Birthday) Casey" (who's birthday was in August)

Then there are the sweet prayers: like the other day after we finished watching Rio and he prayed for birds,

Or a month ago, when my sister had surgery and he prayed "Karlee all better" even weeks after her surgery!

And finally there are the strategic prayers: like the time that he sat in bed praying "Jesus, Mo (no) night night" over and over.

I just LOVE Kallen's prayers!

 And I pray that he always talks to Jesus with the open mind and heart he has now!!



Clifford's- ahem- weiner?

Today is one of those days that you dread as a parent, when your child will not take a nap.

Luckily those days are pretty rare around here, but when they do happen I usually make Kallen sit in his room and read books.

We have a video monitor in his room so I am usually able to work in my kitchen and keep an eye on what Kallen is up to.

I was doing dishes, and listening to Kallen read this page of his Clifford book when I heard this:

"The guy said Help! Help! Then Fifford (Clifford) came and the guy slid down his weiner"

I just burst out laughing!

 I guess to a 2 year old who does not have a tail- that might, in fact, look like Cliffords weiner.

Ah, the joys of 2 year olds!