Happy Halloween!

Daddy and Ty

Lauren had a few friends stop in for chili dogs before Trick or Treating

Makenna being her silly self with her friend, Erin

Makenna and her friend Audrey before heading out to Trick or Treat together

Erin and Stephen making a snack before heading out to visit with other friends who were gathering for the evening around fire pits in the neighborhood.

The cutest little UPS driver ever! Kate wasn't able to go out last year because she was sick so we made up for it this year! She had to come in for a new bucket as hers was overflowing! She hasn't trick or treated before so this was fun for her.

Makenna says she is a "funky witch". Love that girl!

Our sweet dragon was still under the weather but enjoyed being outside this gorgeous evening.

Greg and Sherri

My alarm went off at 4:45am for the last time today! YEAH! It was early, especially with as little as Ty has been able to sleep this week. Anyway, Greg's job has changed for the holiday season at UPS. He will be supervising a crew unloading containers and his hours will not be as predictable as we need for me to continue working. I don't want to be the kind of employee who calls in at the last minute because I need to be home with my kids. I am not exactly sure what purpose my three month stint at Target was supposed to teach me but I did enjoy a few of the people I worked with and appreciated a little adult conversation when I had time to work it in. It was physical work and I like the definition my arms gained lifting boxes! As usual, Greg and I were in discussions about our family's financial needs and how I can supplement without being outside the home and child care kept coming up. I had let a few people know I was interested prior to the Target gig but had no response.  Just as I informed Target I had to leave, I ran into a neighbor and first time mom who needs care for her son two to three days a week. We've talked some and I start with little Cameron next week! The kids are excited and who doesn't love new babies?  I am thrilled with the change on my end. Greg is accepting his "growth opportunity" and we both hope to enter and survive this upcoming season with grateful hearts.

Doctor appointment

I took Ty in for an evaluation after seeing his symptoms increase and fever climb. It's been a long week! He had two good days in the middle of it all but is slowly getting worse so I suspected we may be into a secondary infection. Dr. Rezaei confirmed it was time to see her. She ordered a blood test to check his white blood cell count and declared it "alarmingly low". We ran through a bout of this with Kate in 2006 that landed us in consultation with an oncologist. In the end, hers was viral and at this point, we trust that Ty's is too. He will have the blood test repeated in a week to confirm. He is pretty fatigued, grumpy and inconsolable a lot of the time. The virus on his face looks bad enough that Dr. Rezaei added a strong topical antibiotic to his treatment in hopes of preventing further infection. Ty was not pleased to be back in the office today. He absolutely remembers his vaccine from last week and was hitting the door saying "GO" from the minute we got in there. Poor thing. I promised him no boo-boos and ended up the liar because they did the blood test! Anyway, if you happen to think about it, please keep Ty's blood test in your prayers. It wouldn't hurt to add "sleep through the night" either. Mommy's tired.

Again.....

Look who's getting tall enough to get into trouble in the kitchen. He opens the drawers and flips things out of them and has reached for pans on the stove top. We are now only using the back burners.....

Ty's fascination with the vacuum has not yet subsided. He loves to get a hold of the little dust buster style and pretend to clean up messes. This was not a problem until yesterday when he was deliberately pouring milk from his cup all over the floor so he could clean up the "mess"!

Another cold sore and this one is ugly....I think we are on round 6. He has had cold symptoms and been rather irritable this time too. Poor little guy, we hope he outgrows his susceptibility to the virus. 

Pumpkin Party

Brennen and Kate love each other but are also a bit competitive when they are sharing Grandma and Grandpa.

Proud of her creation.....I am just thrilled she wanted the stickers and paint this year so I didn't have to clean out a pumpkin!

Ty got more paint on himself than the pumpkin. In the end, he needed a bath and afterward, I needed to clean the bathtub!

Love this dragon!

Super heroes, Mason and Erin were on hand and fortunately we escaped without needing their services!

Kisses with Grandma! Ty was a busy boy and kept everyone busy.....Theresa's house is no longer baby proof!

Go team! Kate chose a dress up cheer-leading costume for today's event.....she's planning something different for Trick Or Treating.....you can't have too many options or excuses to wear dress up clothes.

Theresa's mother in law rented the bounce toy for another work related event. They had a two day minimum so the pumpkin party benefited and all the kids loved it.

Waiting to paint her pumpkin. Kate spent a good deal of time creating her masterpiece.

Today, Theresa hosted her annual pumpkin carving party. All the kids dressed up, played on the bouncing toy, decorated pumpkins, ate too much sugar and enjoyed a gorgeous day outside. It was a blast as usual!

Theresa's decorations were awesome....God showed off a bit too!

Grandma and Grandpa visited today!

Grandpa was throwing Kate up in the air and she loved it!

Grandma and some of her girls.....

Ty wasn't sure what he thought about Grandma and Grandpa at first but warmed up nicely once food was involved! He even showed off a few of his famous dance moves! Grandma and Grandpa still see Daddy when they look at him.

15 month check up

Dr. Rezaei was pleased to see her "little man" today and since Beth is the one who gives injections, Ty was just as pleased to entertain Dr. Rezaei! Beth is really sweet and always cringes at the moment she gives vaccines. I struggle so much with vaccines in general. We've done the standard ones....you know the ones that have been around for decades rather than months! Honestly, I just worry about the immune system implications. Today, he got the MMR and it is the only one all of my kids have reacted to. Minor reactions, but reactions none the less. I anticipate fevers, crankiness and a few sleepless nights because I allowed this one. I really don't like vaccines, but I also don't like seeing otherwise healthy babies succumb to preventable illnesses. It's one of those double edge swords we all face and each mom chooses the best she can for her family.
Anyhoo, today's stats are as follows:

• height 32 1/2 inches (90%)

• weight 23 lbs 2.5 ounces (30%) which is down from the (50%) he's maintained since his 3 month checkup

So he's grown 2 inches and half a pound in three months. That explains all the out grown pants! After questioning his diet, Dr. Rezaei has determined he is burning more calories than he's taking in and will just have more of an athletic build than the chunky monkey he started out to be.  The only question I took to the appointment was about his new found interest in walking on his toes. She wants him in shoes all the time and for me to stretch his feet upward toward his knees to stretch out his hamstring. She asked if he was showing interest in potty training. If playing in toilets and throwing away perfectly good diapers counts.....

Diva Day

Anytime Miss Jennifer takes Kate out, something sweet is involved! Kate LOVES playdates with Shelby and Miss Jennifer!

Kate insisted upon a photo with Sleeping Beauty because she's Erin's favorite princess.

Kate decided against her Cinderella dress up clothes for Halloween when she realized she had an excuse to wear her flower girl dress again! Both girls were excited to see the princesses and other characters at the zoo tonight.

Kate was talking with Shelby for the second time today about what they were going to wear to the Zoo's Tick or Treat!

Look out Ladies!

Silly Girls/Busy Boy