The Last Two Weeks = A Roller-Coaster Ride

Saturday, April 27th: Lilly's Birthday Party...

Landen driving "Wormy" around 

 The boy's playing at Shogun ( after the party)  while we waited
for a table inside  (my child will NOT keep his shoes on these days)



Thursday, May 2nd: Landen got his cast off!!!!!!  After 7 weeks and 3 days...Yay!  Such a great Day!

Showing off that leg...we hadn't seen it in a while

Friday, May 3rd:  I went to Ethan's school to help them make homemade ice cream by shaking the ingredients in Ziploc bags.  The kids really enjoyed the process and they enjoyed eating the ice cream with yummy  toppings even more!  That night both boys had a friend/neighbor over to play.  Ethan's friend stayed the night but Landen's little buddy just came over for a few hours. I felt so bad because Landen didn't even play much with his friend, he stayed right with the big boys, watching them play Xbox.  Oh well, the little guy didn't seem to mind, he kicked back and  watched  Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and drank chocolate milk, ha!

Over the Weekend:  It was raining on Saturday so we rented the diamond at an indoor baseball facility in BG for the team to practice.  All of the boys loved playing inside...it  was a nice change for them.  They all took their shoes and socks off and practiced in their bare feet.  Kind of a germaphobe's worst nightmare but they thought it was F.U.N.   On Sunday after church and lunch we went and had silhouettes of the boy's made.  That's what I wanted for Mother's Day.  I haven't seen the proofs yet but I'm sure I will LOVE them!  

Tuesday, May 7th:  We took the boys swimming at an indoor public pool in BG  to help build the muscles back up in Landen's leg.  They both had so much fun they didn't want to leave!

My little fish

Ethan wanted in on the action....whopping kids with noodle action...oh me!

Wednesday, May 8th:  Ethan sang in his team talent show at school.  He sand "God Blessed the Broken Road" by Rascal Flatts.  It's a very special song to us and he did such a great job!  He made many people cry including his teacher and myself.  I was so proud of him because he suffers badly from anxiety about being on stage.  He gets so nervous that in Disney World we got up super early and took him to sign up for a Star Wars Jedi training where you perform onstage and once we got there he backed out of signing up.  Anyway, he overcame his fear and we couldn't have been more proud of our country crooner (who has quite the country twang, might I add)...

On Wednesday night, Ethan had batting practice in BG and we made a stop by Toys R' Us afterward.  At this point, Landen had yet to walk unless someone was holding his hand. He got a ball from a bin in the store and started playing with it. When he dropped the ball  it rolled down the aisle and without realizing it, he took off walking after it.  He walked up and down two aisles!  I was so excited for him. I grabbed my phone to record it and got all teary eyed (2 months is a long time to not see your baby walk)... the people in the store probably thought "Um Lady, it looks like he should have been walking a couple of years ago, LoL!

 

Thursday, May 9th: We were at Ethan's baseball practice, had a blanket stretched out on the grass, and Landen was playing with a couple of friends.  He stood up to go get a toy and he tripped over the blanket.   I caught him mid-fall but it was too late...he was screaming.  I panicked!  I'm not proud of it but I did.  I yelled for Josh and we got him to the truck to sit him down and look at his ankle on his GOOD leg. There was an extra knot there and I wasn't taking any chances.  We picked up my mom and went straight to the BG emergency room.   He calmed down half way there and was playing and giggling with Mom so we were pretty sure that nothing was broken but pretty sure wasn't good enough for me.  We had three x-rays and thank the good Lord above, no broken bones, just a sprained ankle. So we are back to scooting around again.  He wanted to try to stand this morning but it hurt when he put pressure on his sprained ankle and his other ankle is still weak from the cast.  SO, we are alternating Motrin and Tylenol, icing the ankle, and rubbing muscle cream on both legs.  Praying and praying some more that his ankle recuperates in a few days so that he can get back to walking again.  

 I know that I've said this before but seeing your kiddos hurt is the worst.  I just keep having to put this entire   "broken leg" fiasco in perspective.  It seems terrible to me...maybe the hardest thing I have ever been through other than losing loved ones.  But in the big picture I feel so weak and ungrateful when I step back and look at other's pain and suffering.  Throughout this entire process I just keep thinking about the kids that I read about almost daily who have cancer or some other life-altering, life-threatening disease.  Or these children who are born with debilitating diseases.  As a mom, I just can't imagine how their parents must hurt for them, how they must wish and pray that they could take the pain away and give them a normal life.  I think about the pain that those parents must have suffered who have lost their children....I've read about two fatal car wrecks this week where children have died.  One lady lost all three of her girls and the other lady lost her mother and her oldest child. I also read about a family whose little girl had just celebrated her birthday at her grandparents house and then went out to play and the wooden swing set fell on her and killed her instantly.  HOW DO  YOU GO ON????  By the Good Lord's grace, I suppose.  In HIM you find strength and joy everlasting!  My heart is just heavy today as I think about these losses. The love that I feel for my boys consumes me at times.  They are my heart and soul...truly.  The only greater gift that I've ever been given is soul salvation from my heavenly Father.  I also think about the sacrifice that He made... allowing His son to hang there on that cross, that we might have eternal life.  What a sacrifice....it leaves me in awe...

On this Mother's Day, I beg you to focus on that love, the love that only  He can give.  Focus on your children, not on the material gifts they give, but on them, take in their features, hold their hands, hug them tight, and make sure they know how much they are loved.  They are truly gifts from God and we never know what tomorrow holds.  Cherish every moment with them, even the crazy, wild,  not so picture perfect moments!

Disney World Professional Photos

Busy Boys

These past couple of weeks have been pretty non-eventful....busy but still calm.    We have  been going to Ethan's baseball games and practices which together are 3-4 nights each week.  We won our first game last week against the best team in our division.  Ethan got 2 hits and one of them went to the outfield. I was SO excited for him!!!

My ball player before a game

Ethan also made the team talent show at his school.  He will be singing "Blessed the Broken Road" in front of four classrooms and the teachers and parents in a couple of weeks.  He is a little nervous but so excited!  

Landen says "Hi!"

Since we missed Easter at home (we were in Disney World), we celebrated on Sunday the 14th with a lunch and egg hunt at my grandparent's house. Landen got the royal treatment being pulled around in a wagon to hunt his eggs since he couldn't walk.

 Wednesday of last week was really pretty outside so Landen and  I went out to play for a little while in the afternoon.  It took me a while to convince him that even though he can't slide yet he could swing and drive his Jeep around.  He kept saying "I can't walk Mama!"  Once I finally convinced him to go out he had a blast!

On Friday of last week I went with Ethan and his class on a field trip to Dinosaur World.  The kids all seemed to have a great time even thought it was FREEZING outside.  Ethan's favorite part was digging for fossils.

Last Saturday we went to Opry Mills to spend a gift card that I got for my birthday and  take the boys to the Lego store.  While eating lunch, the boys decided to make faces for pictures...

Hmmm...

His arm looks pitiful...he still has his "tattoo" and  added a stamp from riding the carousel

 Crazy Kid!!

And our biggest happening of the past two weeks...

Landen got his below-the-knee cast last Monday and only has to wear it for 10 days!!!! So, after Thursday of next week we will be cast free!  The doctor said that his bone has healed really well but please pray that there will be minimal pain when they take the cast off and that Landen will do well with the transition.  When we got the last cast off he cried saying he wanted his "cas back on" and his knee was really  stiff and painful at first.  He's worn the cast for 6 weeks and isn't sure that he's okay without one.  His leg is SO much lighter with this shorter cast.  He can put weight on it, which makes day to day life much easier and we've even been giving him a bath in the actual bathtub.  One of us holds his leg up while the other one washes him.  He has loved getting to soak and play in the bath.  We'll be so glad to have our little guy up and running around again!

Disney World - Spring Break 2013

 After much reading, planning, reserving, and anticipating we arrived at Disney World on Saturday, March 31st!  Josh and his grandmother had been many years ago but the rest of us had never been and we were all super excited!!!

The entrance to the Disney  property

The lobby at our resort

  

The first evening we were there we walked around downtown  Disney and  had dinner at T-Rex.  

Ethan outside of T-Rex

Downtown Disney

Our first full day there (Sunday) we went to Magic Kingdom and had so much fun riding all of the rides!  The lines to the rides were ridiculously long with it being Spring Break (the 2nd busiest week of the year at Disney...the 1st is Christmas) but since Landen had a broken leg we were able to go in the handicapped line and barely waited at all.  I would much rather have waited in lines and my sweet boy have had  no broken bones but as it was we took advantage of this...perk(?) for lack of a better word.  Ethan's favorite ride was in this park, it was a small roller coaster called Thunder Mountain Railroad.  Sunday evening we at at a restaurant called Whispering Canyon Cafe where anytime anyone needed ketchup they had to scream across the dining room "We need  ketchup!!"   to the table who currently had the ketchup and then the people at that table had to carry all 7 or 8 bottles of ketchup to the screaming table.  It was....interesting, to say the least.                                                                                                                                                          
 

Magic Kingdom Castle

Grammy and Landen riding Dumbo

Ethan and Nannie ridingDumbo

The boys with Goofy

Ethan getting Donald's autograph

The boys with Donald Duck

Riding "Under the Sea"

The second day there we went to Animal Kingdom park.  One of the best rides there is the Kilimanjaro Safari.  We were able to see lots of Animals up close!   In this park, we also saw the festival of the Lion King and went to a petting zoo.   Monday evening we at Planet Hollywood which was Ethan's favorite restaurant of the trip.

Ethan on Kilimanjaro Safari

Up close and personal with a rhino

A giraffe eating

The whole gang & Mickey

The boys & Mickey

Doesn't Ethan look thrilled?  He was having fun, just hates pictures.

Landen after dinner at Planet Hollywood

 On my birthday, Tuesday, our third full day at Disney we went to Epcot.

At the entrance of Epcot

The boys in front of a Lightning McQueen shrub

Phineas & Ferb shrubs??

After my birthday dinner at Fulton's Crab House

Where is Ethan?

My cutie with swollen eyes from sinus/allergy trouble

On Wednesday, we went to Hollywood Studios park.  We did the American Idol experience where you get to set in an auditorium that is set up just like the American Idol set and listen to 3 contestants sing and then vote for your favorite.  Ethan got mad because his favorite didn't win, ha! We also did the Star Wars tour ride which Ethan loved but it made me very nauseated. Landen's favorite ride was at this park, the Toy Story Mania ride!!!

Ethan's shark tattoo

Phineas & Ferb character stop

This one makes me laugh out loud!!

Landen's car tattoo (he calls it a "vroom-vroom"

Lunch at Hollywood & Vine  with Jake

Landen with his Grammy

Really son??

Special Agent  Oso

Landen wasn't so sure about Oso

Handy Manny!!

Landen wasn't feeling the pic

Wreck it Ralph!!

Mickey signing his cast

After Disney Junior Live on Stage

Landen meeting Chip (even though that cartoon is WAY before his time)

Micky & Minnie at Mickey's Backyard BBQ

Ethan's face =   priceless!

 We had so much fun and made so many wonderful memories!  We walked a ton and went non-stop from early morning until midnight every day we were there except one.  We needed a vacation to rest up from our vacation.  Usually slow, laid-back, board game playing, move watching, exploring at our own pace is more our style of vacation BUT it was worth the hectic schedule to see the smiles on our boy's faces.  Ethan's already planning another trip in five years.  I think he has the right idea...it'll take me at least five years to forget how exhausted we all were!  

*Just  FYI...I have a hundred other photos I just didn't want to make this post forever long by showing every single one. However, I am waiting on the ones from Disney World professional photographers to come in and I will share them once I have them.