At the lake

Here's some lake pictures. Of course Zack LOVES being at the lake. He loves water and wind and clouds and bugs and lizards and on and on. Trevor found some antalions (or something like that) that he was real excited about.

Happy Valentines Day

This year was better than last year...which wasn't too hard to accomplish. The boys got fun chocolate gifts, colorful new shirts, went to a party with some homeschool friends where they decorated cookies and made Angry Bird valentines cards, and after karate they got to hang out at grandmother's house. A good day!!

I wanted to get a picture of them in their new shirts. I had the big boys line up, and was hoping to teach Zack to join the line-up for a picture. I almost couldn't believe it when he got in line the first time I asked him. I got a quick picture out while I was cheering him on. Then another. Then I told him to tip his head back and smile. He did! I showed him to put his hand on his cheek and smile. He did! By then we were all laughing so hard there was no way to keep him there. I'm so excited that I got them all in one picture together!! Now, I'm sitting on the edge of the tub while Zack is having a bath, and am blogging. Sweet!

Hope your valentines day was sweet as well.

Samuel's Birthday

I have discovered that I can blog from my phone! Hurrah! So now for some catching up:

Samuel's birthday came in January and was lots of fun. He got some fun gifts from all the family, and some pretty cool cards, too. I think this must be the year for interactive cards...he got some really creative ones.

We had a little pizza/movie party for him, complete with streamers, movie candy, glow straws and bracelets, Papa Johns pizza (a real treat) and gluten-free brownies. The kids watched Tron, which was a little over their heads, but they enjoyed it anyway. They had fun laying on the floor together.

Samuel is a great kid who loves to make people laugh. His tender heart is something else. He's my first boy to quit holding my hand and giving me kisses. :(. He's growing up way faster than his brothers have!

To the park

We took a little trip to the park this afternoon. Zack LOVED it! He loves to use his little muscles and run and climb and slide. The bigger boys had fun, too, and played American Ninja Warrior.

Under the Weather

Boy, it's been one thing after another at the Tolleson house lately.  The first one to go down was Trevor.



While my parents were here we went to the lake, and pretty much right away Trevor got a fever.  He spent a good deal of time laying on the floor.  It was pitiful.  Probably as pitiful as finding him sitting in the canoe all alone.



He was sick with a fever all weekend. Monday, he was still sick, and on Tuesday evening his fever got up to 105. That sure got my attention. The next day we went to our favorite doctor. She said Trevor had pneumonia(!) and sent us for chest x-rays. After 4 days of medicine, he still was pitiful, so we went back to the doctor again.

After 2 breathing treatments...




...we were ordered back for more x-rays. This time we brought Grandmother along.






Trevor said being sick was worth it since he got to see his x-rays. He absolutely loved that.

Well, no sooner had Trevor begun to mend and who should get sick? Zack. He was wheezing up a storm, so off to the doctor he went. He also had to have breathing treatments, but as I was too busy holding him down while he was screaming through the first one, and trying to keep him distracted during the second one, I have no pictures. Zack has Bronchiolitis. He had to use an inhaler for over a week. It had a breathing chamber on it, and a tiny little mask. After pinning him to the floor, I would hold his head down with one hand, and hold the mask with the other while he screamed and sucked in the medicine. After every couple puffs he would get a mini M&M. That helped a little, at least to get him to quit crying afterwards. It was a rough week.

Just as Zack was getting a little less wheezy, and we had quit doing the inhaler, I got sick. At first I was rattling in my chest, but within a day I was in the bed. Tim did Mommy and Daddy Duty for 2 whole days before I, too, got a 105 temp and decided to go to the doctor. Not really sure why we waited that long, but we did.

I'd been on my pneumonia medicine one day when William started it. I called our favorite doctor and got a prescription called in without an appointment, which was such a blessing. Unfortunately, that medicine made him barf, so we got another kind, which he took to better.

And now, can you believe, my story is not done?

After 6 days of his medicine, William woke up yesterday with red spots on his chest. I thought he was having a reaction to the antibiotics, and took him in to the doctor. But the doctor said, no, he has a virus. The pneumonia is cleared up, and now he has a virus that looks like the chicken pox. The spots have gotten worse. He is COVERED in nasty red bumps. They haven't filled with pus, like chicken pox do, and I'm praying that they won't. I wish he would let me take a picture to show you, but so far he won't. He spent at least 30 minutes in bed this morning with his blanket over his head before I could coax him out. I think he feels okay--maybe a little achy, and pretty itchy--but he looks terrible. TERRIBLE.

They boys have spent a ton of time like this:


...on the couch, watching movies and playing wii. Actually, Zack isn't ever sitting there like that. That was a fluke.


That there is the only minute I was able to get him sitting still...thankfully long enough for me to take a picture, however misleading it is. He is always, always running around getting into things. He usually has a pencil in his hand. I wish I could find his source for pencils, because I can never seem to find one when I want one.

So, there you have it. Our sad, sick story. I'm praying that this is the end of the story...that no one else gets the ugly red bumps, and that we won't be having Thanksgiving alone at home!

The Sandbox

Zack is not cuddly, but he is affectionate. He loves this duck, and loves to kiss it.

On a tangent: look at those curls!!

They were so messy most of the time that I finally cut them off yesterday. Sad.

Zack kisses everything he loves: Me, Tim, the boys, the stairs, his sandbox. Somethings are better for kissing than others. :) Zack loves to play in the dirt. Here's some pictures of him playing on the patio from awhile back...





Samuel kept him busy one soccer game playing in the gravel.



We wanted to make Zack a sandbox for his birthday. But where to put it? Remember that big hole we had in the patio from the pipe leak? Well, we thought that would be the perfect spot!

(We like to make sure the kids wear work-clothes. )

Tim cleaned up the edges, trimmed it in with decking boards, laid a water permeable tarp to keep that red Alabama dirt from mixing in, and we filled it up with beach sand!





Zack loves it. Hardly a day goes by that he doesn't play in it.

Actually, all the kids love it.



Yay Sandbox!  Yay Daddy!  And Yay Stroller Time--that gave me a chance to pump this post out!

Stroller Date

Zack can't talk, but sometimes he is very effective getting his point across.  The other day he brought me his stocking cap, and I put it on him, and he pulled it off.  We played that game for a little while, and he finally went and did something else.  Later he got my attention by yanking on Tim's hoodie that is hanging by the door.  Then he got me one of Tim's shoes.  It all finally made sense when I saw Tim getting Zack ready for a walk.  Zack was bringing me all the things he needed to go for a walk.  Tim takes him every day, no matter how chilly or dark, and Zack loves it.  Tonight when he was pointing at his coat, we knew what he wanted.  I got Zack ready and took him outside and set him by the stroller.  He climbed right up and plopped into position.





Isn't he hilarious?  He was actually doing some BIG grins, but of course the camera flash is too slow to catch them.

Samuel went along tonight.



Stroller Date Time may be the most peaceful part of our day :).