Croup

A few weeks ago we had a pretty scary night. We were watching tv when we heard Owen start coughing. He sounded pretty bad. Soon he wasn't really able to catch his breath at all. Holly came over to stay with the other sleeping kids while Matt and I rushed Owen to the ER. He ended up having to get a breathing treatment and two steroid shots before he started breathing easier. The Dr. said it was croup- an infection of the vocal chords that can cause swelling, closing up his breathing tube. We were all a little scared, Owen especially. I've never been seen so fast at an ER before. After a few more hours of monitoring, they sent us home. He slept in our room the next couple of nights with the humidifier, just to make sure he was ok, but he never showed any other symptoms or had any other problems. It was very out of the blue and we were really grateful that they were able to help him. Listening to him struggle for breath was horrible. The only lasting effect was actually the monitoring stickers- it hurt too much to peel them off and it took weeks for them to fall off, even with much soaking in the tub. That Owen bounces back fast.

Nashville's Parthenon

Nashville has a full size Parthenon replica. Percy Jackson went there in The Lightning Thief movie, so the kids were pretty excited to go check it out. They were a little bummed when it looked different then the movie. They were especially disappointed that there was no hydra. Still, it was a fun day!

Labor Day and Lollipops

Every year we plant lollipop seeds, then the seeds grow on Labor Day. Andrew is the best when it comes to things like this. You can tell from his picture how excited he is (he was the first one to notice after they came up). Little boys love their candy!

First day of Kindergarten

Kindergarten here starts almost 2 weeks after the rest of the school. Andrew and Joey couldn't wait to get started. It was a little hard to watch the kids head off on the bus everyday, but finally their time came! Andrew's teacher, Ms. Bradley, seems really kind. After a year in preschool where he cried about going, then a year at home, I thought he would have a hard time going to school, but he just grabbed his backpack, and headed out the door. He was excited when we got there and sat right down to get started on a project she had there for him to do. I think he takes his work seriously. So far, he still loves it. He loves riding the bus with his brother and cousins and always talks about the fun things he gets to do. Now we just have to get Owen adjusted to being home alone with me all day!

Williamson County Fair

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The kids had a great time at the Williamson County Fair. There were rides, lots of deep fried foods, a pretend farm with jobs to do, and lots of animals. Andrew begged to bring one of the piglets home- he thought they were so cute. It was a fun Tennessee time!

First day of school

Mario is in 3rd grade and Matthew and Gio are in 2nd grade this year. They were so excited to get started. It helped so much that they all get to go to the same school and do stuff at Winstead together. Matthew's teacher, Ms. Cook seems great. It should be a great year!

Ocean City 2010

We love the beach! This year we went for 2 weeks and of course the boys said it wasn't long enough. Highlights this year were boogy boarding, skim boarding, ball playing, swimming, sand digging, some surfing (for Matthew), having Jared around to play with, a visit from Aunt Jenny, Aunt Betty's icecream, and the boardwalk. Matt even made it for a great week. Go Ocean City!