excitement

we stayed excited all weekend!

we started out friday morning celebrating honey's birthday.  honey and g spent thursday night, so she got to wake up to balloons, powdered donuts, presents, and our awesome off-key rendition of happy birthday!

william guessed that she was 63, wes guessed 21, and reed guessed 100.  i think wes is on her favorite list for the time being!

then we made it to starkville to watch the bulldogs beat auburn for the first time in what feels like forever!  it was so nice to be able to sit through a 4th quarter and just relax and enjoy the win!  plus, it was a billion degrees cooler than it was the previous weekend.  that was a huge bonus!  this picture cracks me up...it was taken right before the bottom of william's chair ripped and he fell right through it! all 3 thought it was pretty funny!  :)

then, wes lost another tooth.  not that you can really see it in this picture, but he was excited!!

and then william threw in a little more excitement by slicing his head open and ending up with stitches!

he was jumping and hit his head on a part of the basketball goal.  at least that is what he said happened! it was at our neighbor's house, and he came home leaving a trail of blood the entire way.  the garage looks like a crime scene!!  head wounds can bleed, people!!  even if the cut doesn't look that big!  take my word for it!  the funny part was that even though he was drenched in blood and obviously hurting, he wouldn't come inside because he didn't want to make a mess!!  he stood at the backdoor screaming and ringing the doorbell like a madman!!  which of course meant that there was blood all over the door, the wall, the doormat, etc.  after we got him cleaned up (the garage is chase's job for tomorrow), it was obvious that he needed stitches by the way that it was flapping open.  so chase took him, and he said he was nervous and hesitant until he realized that stitches weren't put in by a giant sewing machine!  i guess that's what you get for having a grandmother that sews!  so....then he was calm and played angry birds the entire time that he had his head sewed up.  afterwards, he and his daddy went to get supper at connie's (his favorite chicken joint that we never really go to), so he thought the whole incident was pretty cool!  his hair covers it up completely, so you can't see it at all, but he's been sure to show everybody and tell them that it doesn't hurt to get stitches! i'm thrilled that he had such a great experience because i have a feeling that it won't be the last!  :)

and with that, i'm going to bed.  i've had all the excitement that i can stand for one weekend!

his turn

it's september, and william and wes are into their school routine.  and by routine, i mean william jumps up and makes his bed and heads downstairs to eat breakfast.  wes grumbles because he doesn't want to get up and "i'm still tiiiii-yerd!"  in all fairness, he has done much better about getting up this year.  i might have had to tell him to get up more than once, but i haven't had to drag him out of bed yet!!  and, he hasn't complained once about making his bed.  i'm hoping that means that he's loving kindergarten, but at any rate...it's progress.  and for the last month while we've been progressing, reed has just gone with flow.  he gets up with william and wes or not, tags along with me to kroger, hangs out on the golf course, or just entertains himself at home.  but today...he got in on the back to school routine!  labor day has come and gone which means every preschool in town started this week.  and this little dude was excited!

i pulled up in the carpool line, and he climbed up in the front seat and said, "go, mama!"  no hesitation whatsoever.  he really is an easy kid.  at least at this moment in time.  maybe it's a third kid thing, or maybe it's just that it was a familiar place, but either way...i'll take it!!

one of our favorite teachers (the one who got us out of the car every morning for the past 5 years) isn't there anymore.  he took one look as i rounded the corner, and said, "that's not miss missy."  it made me sad, but i'm sure he'll love the new carpool lady too (don't know her name yet).  and if you're reading this miss missy...we miss you!!  it's not the same without you!

anyway, he climbed in the car when i picked him up and said that he ate a bus cookie, played with sadie, rode a bike in the gym, and sang the "aldigator" song.  sounds like a perfect day.  i don't think i'll have any problem getting him to go back!  bye-bye, summer!!

it's time again.

we headed to starkville this weekend to kick off the beginning of football season.  we had a great group show up to tailgate, but y'all....it was H-O-T!!  i'm not one to complain about hot weather.  i'd much rather it be 100 degrees than 50, but i think the 400% humidity was what made it almost unbearable.  or maybe i was still in recovery mode.  stupid tonsils.  either way, we made the most of it, sweat and all!!

william and wes squeezed their way onto the front row for the walk-through.  they counted and said they got somewhere around 83 fives!

jonathan banks

i don't know who this guy is, but he has some stylin' glasses.  needs a little work on the length of that tie, however.

tyler russell

the game was a blowout, but it was nice to be able to just sit there and relax the entire time!

and of course, one of the highlights of the game was the sonic boom!  they rocked it!

next up...auburn.  i'm thinking we won't be sitting back relaxing like we were this game.  but win or lose, we'll have fun doing it!  

take note!

i'm about to tell you something of utmost importance.  something that you need to file away in the deep recesses of your brain for future reference.  you or someone you know may need this little tidbit at some point in life.  so put down your down your drink, your snack, or pull over on the side of the road and focus.  i don't want you saying that i never warned you.  ready???

getting your tonsils out at the age of 32 sucks.  the end.  

ever since i was a little kid, i have had sore throat after sore throat, strep throat after strep throat.  i typically have a sore throat at least every other month.  there's usually a bad case of strep every november and february.  chase can even smell when i'm about to get one and he'll call it the day before.  weird and gross all at the same time.  it's like it's just written down on my internal calendar to get a sore throat on a specific day.  over the course of my life, i am sure that i have ingested more antibiotics than a field full of kroger chickens. no doctor ever told me to get them out.  so as an adult, i typically just sucked it up and let it run it's course.  that usually took a week to a week and a half.  sometimes i carried around a cup to spit in just so i wouldn't have to swallow.  lovely.  well this summer i got a bad one that lasted 21 days until i finally went to the ENT who gave me an antibiotic (to make certain that i was beating the chicken at his own game) and told me that those petri dishes in the back of my throat were coming out.

coming out?  i thought tonsillectomies were for 5 year olds?  and i thought it was absolutely horrible to get this done as an adult?  and as of friday i found out first hand that yes....it IS absolutely horrible to get this done as an adult.  so if you have a kid that may be on the verge of needing his tonsils out (or maybe not even close)...i'd just go ahead and take those suckers out now.  spare them the misery 20-30 years down the road!

it started out friday morning with the nurse having to stick me 3 times to get an iv in.  this always happens to me.  i have had 3 kids and 7 epidurals.  the numbers don't add up.  apparently, i make a dang good pin cushion.  thankfully, some really cool anesthesia girl came by and made me feel like i was floating, so that was awesome.  they should consider that as part of recovery for the week after.  i might could have handled the pain and nausea if i had been somewhat drunk.  instead, i sipped gatorade round the clock for two days rather comfortably, and then day 3 tried to kill me.  i offered to let william shoot me with the new gun he got for his birthday to end it all, but he likes me and didn't want to do that.

(you would think at least one of them would take me up on the offer!) 

day 4, i was straight up miserable and angry.  after a text to my doctor demanding steroids (not really...he was super sweet and offered it), i went and got a steroid shot and some zofran.  it took the angry and miserable away and left me just kind of hurting and hungry.  so...practically good as new compared to day 3!!!  i've professed my love for steroids before after injecting them into my knee, but now....let's just be glad i don't play professional baseball! whohoo for steroids!  and high five to the sweet doctor that texted me to check on me.  guess i looked pretty angry and miserable that morning?!? : (  anyway, i think i really turned the corner on day 5.  after staying in bed until after lunch drunk on pain meds, i finally got some food down.  i think that made all the difference.  now don't get me wrong....my throat still hurts, but i can function.  and that's good because i'm kind of tired of my bed!!

once again...my family rocks.  my dad fixed breakfast and played with my kids all weekend and then transported reed to chase's parents for the week while my mom has taken on the role of clothes washer/kitchen cleaner/lego fight breaker upper.  chase has played nurse fairly well despite my dirty word looks when he shoves a gatorade in my face and tells me to drink.  friends are bringing supper for the people in this house that can actually eat food.  and the little people have made sure i have everything i need including a room full of handmade cards.

they make me happy, but i'm glad to know this is a once in a lifetime thing.  in fact, they can just go ahead and give my antibiotics and steroids to the chickens because i've filled my surgery quota for the next hundred years!!

seven

seven years ago, william joined this party that we call the henson house.  chase and i had no idea what we were doing.  i remember being in awe that those crazy people at the hospital just let us walk out of there with a baby.  and in more ways than one, i guess we still don't know what we are doing...but at least we celebrate in style!  :)  it's not everyday that you get powdered donuts and popcorn for breakfast!  

reed could get used to this!

and presents...let's not forget presents!!

he was really excited to take his golf cupcakes to celebrate with his class!  (they just came in from the playground so just ignore the sweat.)

this was the first time i have really been around his new class (obviously...it's the second week of school)....and i loved them all!  what a sweet group of kids!  i think they are going to have a great year!

after school, we hit up sonic for some milkshakes and then went to toys r us to spend some birthday money.  this was really his only request for his birthday.  we spent a good twenty minutes scouring the lego aisle only to end up with more ninja legos.

i personally don't care for the ninjas.  i built lego houses when i was little.  they now build ninja castles and battlefields.  it's awesome.  (sarcasm)  anyway, after an afternoon of ninjago, we finished off the night with chips and cheese dip.

(this is what wes put on when i told him to go upstairs and put on some clothes.  i don't know about him.)

but, i sure am glad that those hospital people let us keep that little baby seven years ago.  i kind of like him!

happy birthday, william!!

hardware

my sophomore year of college, i sat next to my suite mate in an A&P class.  she furiously took notes....pages upon pages upon pages....that were so detailed.  i mean, i think she wrote down every single word that came out of that professor's mouth.  it was quite impressive.  looking back now, maybe she should have been a court reporter and skipped OT school!  i, however, pretty much sat there and listened while occasionally taking a few notes.  it wasn't like i couldn't figure out something i missed.  all i had to do was glance at the notes of the person that i lived with!!  anyway, we would study for exams, and she would get so mad at me because i would read my notes once or twice and feel pretty good about the upcoming test.  (if jessica ever reads this, she's going to be nodding her head and getting herself worked up all over again! :))  i'm not saying i'm a genius.  i'm saying that i've always had a pretty easy time memorizing stuff.

however, william may have me beat.  if he wants to remember something...it's as good as done.  today he came home with a trophy from sunday school for scripture memorization work over the summer.

(let me just stop right here for a second and say that i'm so thankful for our church and school and all the teachers/preachers/administrators that pour out their lives into the hearts of my children.  we are so blessed!!  (i know a few of y'all read this!)  i don't in any way, shape or form think that the church and the school are the ones responsible for teaching my kids the gospel.  don't get me wrong, they do a top-notch job.  but, i know that responsibility falls squarely on the shoulders of parents.  but, it is a major blessing to know that at home, at church, at school....we are all on the same page.)

anyway, this kid was all smiles after getting his hands on his new trophy!  while his teacher tried to give some credit to chase and me, we can't really take any.  i did make him recite his verses to me every once in a while, but it was a tip from his teacher from last year that helped earn this prize!  she told me at one point that she taped things for her kids to read on their beds so that while they were lying there (going to bed or being punished)...they had nothing else to do but read (and eventually memorize) those words.  SO....since william sleeps on the top bunk, i just taped a poster on the ceiling right above him.  he learned verse after verse in no time!!  i think we are on to something here!  now i just need somebody to teach wes how to read!  :)

Psalm 119:11 - I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.