Ears, Again?

That's right, Tucker has another ear infection. I pity the families that have suffered with this (Shawn/Misty and Shelley/Clay). We were back in the pediatrician's office the Monday before Christmas with Tucker. This time, it was just a fever and not sleeping well. I say "just" a fever, because last time, he had a terrible cold and lots of congestion and the poor baby couldn't breathe when he laid down, so we spent three days in the reclined position. So luckily, no cold or congestion this time. The doctor was shocked that he wasn't crying constantly with pain, but he actually has done better with this infection compared to the last. The pediatrician said he had a large, puss-filled blister on his left eardrum (which experience tells him is usually more painful), and a severe ear infection. (Let me remind you, we were just in there the week before and got a clean bill of health from the doctor. That's how fast this came on him.) Doc started him on a lot stronger anitbiotic twice a day for 10 days, and a probiotic once a day for the side effects of the anitbiotic. That's awful to take medicine because of another medicine, but had he not prescribed it, poor Tuck would be a lot worse. The blister is supposed to have either bursted or dried up. No fluid has come out of his ears, so "dried up" I guess is what happened. The antibiotic has made a frequent SHOUT user of me. Changing table, numerous clothes of Tucker's, a few shirts for me and Jared, and let's not forget the carpet. Yes, the carpet. Where else can "it" go, when there's over 21 lbs. of baby on top of it? Out the legs and up the back. He has had "it" from his wrist to his ankle. Poor baby has had so many baths in one day, his skin is drying out. Anyway, I've wanted to replace the carpet in the living room for a little while, now, but not because of poo! (By the way, Chlorox wipes work great on removing stains from carpet, and there's no bleach in them, so no discolored spots!) Tucker only has one more dose of that awful, white, so thick it won't drip, medicine. Thank you Lord! Please let my baby be done with ear infections.

Another Wonderful Christmas

Did I mention, Christmas is the BEST holiday of all? Well, CHRISTMAS IS THE BEST HOLIDAY OF ALL!!! Another wonderful Christmas goes down as a complete success in the book of memories for the Cordes family. We woke up early, convinced Ian that we needed at least more than 2 hours of sleep, and caught another hour or two of "shut-eye."  Finally, we started the day. A relaxing day at home with my wonderful family. Nowhere to go. Nothing to do but stuff our "pie holes" as Granddad calls it, and play with the kids and toys. Gifts, gifts, and more gifts. That seems to be the theme this Christmas. We are so blessed. We saw almost all our close family over the course of two weeks, and everyone is doing great. I can't ask for anything more. The END. (pictures to come later)

One Proud Momma

I'm a little late with this post. I try not to brag too much about my boys, at least not out loud, but I have to document this somewhere. I am so very proud of my big kindergartener. Jared and I both are amazed. This little boy who, before school began, had no interest whatsoever in reading or writing anything other than his own name, has become very interested in both. He was one of twenty chosen by his principal out of the entire elementary school to participate in a rewarding day out. They were treated to a movie (A Christmas Carol in 3D), a Coke, popcorn, and a Happy Meal. To top it off, it was all paid for by hard work and dedication in school. Ian was chosen for "Highest Acedemics." As if that wasn't enough to make a momma cry, he was also chosen by his teacher to receive a red necklace with a green star charm that had a picture of a book and the word "READER" on it. He said it stands for "Highest Reader." I am so proud of my big boy. One of the two things that had me worried about him starting school was his attachment to his momma. The other: his uninterest in reading and writing. He has surprised Jared and me and made us the proudest parents in the world. We've got two wonderful boys. All the thanks and glory be to God!!!

Multiple Entries

Trip to see Zoe Jane:

This post will contain a lot of little entries. I think I'll start with my recent trip to see my newest niece, Zoe Jane. She is so adorable, and so tiny. She's bigger than Ian was when he was an infant, but it's hard to remember exactly how little they were as infants when they're almost six years old. Zoe is a very good baby. She hardly cried all weekend. Seriously, maybe once or twice, that's it. It was nice to hear the little grunts of a newborn again. They loose that so fast. It was a very good trip, once we got there (more about that later!).

Zoe Jane Phillips

Ian's First "Date":

Ian has been on his first date with another girl, besides his Mommy. Earlier this year, Ian took me out on a "date" as a way to show him how to treat girls before he ventured out into school. I wasn't too worried, because playdates with boys was few and far between, since until this past August, all of his immediate cousins were girls. Jared and I have tried to teach him the difference between playing with boys and girls. On our "date" I showed him how to open the door for girls, order his own food, and I even let him pay for our food and dessert. He was so excited. I didn't know his first "date" would be so soon. Some friends of ours, that we've come to know since school started came over for a playdate on Friday. Kindergarten Cutie, Two-year-old Sweetie, and Mom of Two (that's what they'll be called on this blog) came over for a while to play and since both our husbands work a similar shift, we wanted to eat supper at a local restaurant. Since we ate a little late (about 8:20 p.m.), we were the only people in the place. Our little kindergarteners wanted to sit by themselves, so we mom's thought they were wanting a little independence, so we let them sit at the booth across from us. When the waitress brought our menus, the little grown-ups informed her they were in fact on a "DATE!" We laughed and played along. I didn't know I'd actually get to witness his first little "date." I have to say, I am very proud of him. They both looked at their menus, ordered their own drinks and food, sat beside each other in the booth, and ate very well. They were so cute when they were carrying on their own conversations like big people as their feet swung under the table. They took it so serious. Kindergarten Cutie wouldn't let Two-year-old Sweetie sit with them at first, because let's be honest, who wants their siblings on their first "date?" Ian did very well. I'm a very proud Mommy!

Ian's Christmas Tree Decorations:

This is Ian's Christmas tree in his room. I think it's 2  or 2 1/2 feet tall. We decorated it together last year with the typical popcorn and candy, but this year I wanted him to use his own imagination. This is what he came up with: Hot Wheels, four wheelers, and mini cars. He had so much fun. I can't wait to see what he comes up with next year!

Cute Picture:

This is just a little picture I took on Saturday. I loved it. They're both chillin' on their CARS couch. I thought their Nonny would love this picture. 

Playtime With My Boys

Here's a couple pictures of the boys playing during our free time.

 

Ian loves to play with his MegaBlocks. Ian made an airplane, I made an airplane, and we both made the robot. It was so much fun. It's nice to have a few moments to play by ourselves.

Here's Tucker playing with a few of his favorite toys. Of course the things we play together are: peek-a-boo, wrestling, and tickle-monster. Look at that grin! I love to hear him laugh. Poor thing has my laugh.

Finally Better

Well, Fuzzy's back in school. Our Thanksgiving was wonderful with all our families, and we even managed to have our own little Thanksgiving alone at home. It was such a great experience, especially since Ian is big enough to understand what we're doing. We've got big plans for our own Christmas. I can't wait!! We also got a surprise visit from Nonna. I haven't seen Ian that excited in a while. We love it when she comes.

Ian sleeping with Nonna at the cabin. Ian sleeps sideways, kicks, rolls, and punches. Look at his knee sticking up (green).

Our little man is finally feeling better. Ian and Tucker have had a little cold for a couple weeks now, like everybody else in this town, but they started feeling better last week. Then, Tucker started running a fever of 102.7 Sunday night. I think he got 2-3 hours sleep and I maybe got 1 or 2 hours. First thing Monday, we were in the pediatrician's office. Congestion, cough, runny nose, fever, and of course, very fussy... and the verdict: ear infection in left ear, fluid in right ear, sinus infection, and a cold. My poor baby. We've slept on the couch, reclined for the past 3 nights. He has finally started feeling better. I'm so glad he can finally breathe again. After many nights of sleeping in the reclined position, globs of baby rub, many refills in the Vicks plug-in, I think we'll go back to our own beds tonight.

My poor sick baby. Three nights on the couch.   : (

Fuzzy Wuzzy Was A....... Hamster?

For the past several days, we've had a little visitor in the Cordes household.... Mrs. Moore's kindergarten class pet, Fuzzy the hamster. I wasn't so sure how I'd like having a little rodent in my house, but I have to admit, it's not so bad. I definitely don't get it out of the cage, but I just give it a little food (about a tablespoon, more or less) and make sure it has plenty of water every day. I'm not brave enough to hold it, but my husband and neices love to. Ian's kind of like me, but he'll touch it. He likes to feed it, so I have to make sure he don't feed it 2-3 times a day. I haven't minded it being here, but I'll kind of be glad when it's safely back at the school. I just pray Ian doesn't ask Santa for one!

A TOOTH!

Well, Tucker finally has a tooth! After actively teething since he was three months old, he cut his first tooth yesterday. We've been wiping slobber from his chin, neck, and chest and our fingers, shoulders, and faces for several months, and one day before turning 8 months, the tooth that has peeked out and hid again numerous times, is out for good. We've been warning Ian for a few months now, but I don't think he has grasped the concept of how bad it hurts when a teething infant bites with all his might. I'm sure he'll find out soon.

Tidal Wave

Well, my little one has a little curl in his hair. It's the funniest thing after his bath. If you don't comb his hair straight right after you put his diaper on, and I mean right after, his hair will stay all messed up and curly until his next bath. Just for fun, I fixed it like a wave. You know what I mean: like your mom used to in the 80s. I've never been a fan of that hairstyle, but couldn't resist on this ONE occasion.

Ready, Set, Go!!!

I'm happy to announce that the games are back!! I'm talking about our wii. Ian has been testing our patience, with success, for about 2-3 months now. The only punishment that has worked was taking ALL toys and games away and making him earn them back one at the time. I'm talking dirt bikes, hot wheels, blocks, etc... All items were to be earned back by one toy a day, depending on how he acted that day. I know, it sounds a little strict for a kindergartener, but we were out of options. The only things he could have were paper, crayons, and books. It has worked great, and he has really done a lot better this week. The rules were: he could not earn video games until he had earned all other privileges back. Well, I'm happy to announce for him, that he has worked really hard and has officially earned back his wii. Other video games are to follow. But for now, let us rejoice in the fact that he acts like he just got his wii for the first time!!! He is so excited, and this little discipline trick is in my mental notes for the future.

Smashing Pumpkins

One of Jared's favorite parts of Halloween is getting rid of anything resembling Halloween. I know, it sounds awful, but I mean it in a good way. He likes to get rid of all Halloween candy by consumption, along with me and Ian helping. Ian also likes to help get rid of the painted pumpkins. We paint instead of carve, because they last longer. A good part of living out in the country is having hills and woods surrounding us. Ian and Jared both like smashing the pumpkins on the rocks that stick out of the hills behind our house. We live on top of a hill, so not only do they smash like they've been exploded, but the remaining pieces tumble down the hillside and a few actually get airborne. I definitely think this is gonna be a fun tradition in my house full of boys.

Halloween Costumes

I'll have to admit, Halloween is NOT my favorite holiday, but you can't help but love seeing your own flesh and blood dressed up for one night. Ian has been looking forward to his costume for over a month now (mainly because of the "stache") and he finally got to put it on. I don't think he realized how "on" it was gonna be, because what little hair was on his upper lip, is now perminently attached to the back of the super-sticky Mario mustache. Tucker was a little hard to fit this year, because he's too big for the cutesy costumes, but not big enough to wear the ones that are stiffer for walking. We had to settle on Batman, which we like, but it wasn't our first choice. He was a very cute Batman, anyway. So here's a few pics:

Fall Festival 2009

Here's a few pictures from the Elementary Fall Festival 2009 held last Tuesday, Oct. 27.:

Ian and Hannah - Kindergarten Nominees for Fall Festival King and Queen 2009.

Ian and Mrs. Lyons: The kindergarten class had a pie throwing booth. Anyone could throw a pie at any of the three kindergarten teachers.

This was a cute Spongebob-themed booth. Ian did pretty good at throwing the sponges.

Ian shooting a few hoops.

Yacht Club Fitness Booth

Moon walk: the second kindergarten booth.

"Where's My Sock?"

On the way home from school yesterday, Oct. 21, I looked at Ian, riding quietly in his booster seat, and noticed that only one sock was peeking out from under the bottom of his pants. I happened to already know that several of his classmates, and him, take their shoes off for nap time. But why was the sock gone? I asked him, and he said: "Momma, I had to take it off. That's the only way I could see my foot." In that "duh" moment, I was still just as puzzled, so I asked him again, this time more specific: "Ian. Why did you take your sock off to even look at your foot? And why didn't you put it back on?" "Because, Momma," he said,  "Melody couldn't see what I was showing her through my sock. And I don't know where my sock went."
The sock is still lost. So I think I've won the "Weirdest Item Lost at School" award. Can anybody else beat it? I'm calling you fellow bloggers out.

First Field Trip

Ian, Will, Maggie, and Brooklyn

Ian's first ever field trip was yesterday, and they chose to go to Whitmore Farms, outside Jasper. We were grouped with a very fair kid/parent ratio (Ian and I was paired with some very familiar faces, Tasha and Maggie, and a very sweet new face, Brooklyn), split into two groups as a whole, and started out exploring the neat farm. Our group, which was about 20 kids and 10-12 adults, started the morning on a very HUGE inflatable slide, which all the children, with the exception of a couple, loved almost as much as the parents wanted to. From there, we climbed our way across to another inflatable, yet smaller obstacle course/slide. Every child had a new and better way to jump, flip, and slide down the other side. It was so fun to watch some of the shy kids come out of their shell at this point. Next, we bounced our way over to the last inflatable, the moon walk. Since this had to be done in smaller groups of about 5, some of the kids who had already taken their first turn, used the wait time to have their faces painted by a member of the farm staff. They had a choice of spider, ghost, or pumpkin, and of course Ian chose the spider. (A small word of advice for anyone that will ever attempt to do face-painting: make sure you include all eight legs if you paint a spider. Children who are learning about new things will definitely pick up on the mistake of only using six legs.) Afterwards, the kids had a picnic lunch that was provided by the school lunchroom. Concessions were provided for the chaperones. Our group then set off for petting the farm animals. While they didn't get to touch every single animal there, they did their fair share. They saw a baby pig, dove, two rabbits, blue chicken, pony, pygmy goat, miniature horse, turkey, and of course, the farm dogs. After getting a generous amount of Germ-X, we went into the barn for scarecrow building, and hay jumping. It was then time for a quick trip to the farm's pond, where each kid was given the job of watching their very own bobber at the end of their cane pole. No fish, though. Next, we hitched a ride on a huge trailer filled with hay, pulled by a tractor. The hay ride took us all across the farm to a pumpkin patch, which was no more than a bunch of picked pumpkins spread out on a fresh-cut hay field, but the kids still had fun hand-picking their very own pumpkin to take home. They had a quick snack, loaded all the kids and their pumpkins, and headed back to the school. We really had a good time. First field trip: a success.

Ian on the giant slide. If you look close, you can see the top of the barn roof behind the slide. That's how tall this thing was.

Ian sliding down giant slide.

Doing tricks on obstacle course slide.

Ian would not touch blue chicken.

Ian, Maggie, and Brooklyn petting donkey.

Jumping into large bales of hay.

Ian and Brooklyn

Tasha, Maggie, Brooklyn, Holly, and Ian enjoying the hay ride. Camera was a little shaky.

 

Luke and Ian bringing home their prized pumpkins.

The rare six-legged spider from Whitmore Farms, found in it's natural habitat: children's faces.

Allow Me To Introduce....

These angels are my world. They are who this blog will be centered around. Those beautiful, innocent faces are the product of a wonderful, almost fairytale 7 year marriage between me and my wonderful husband.

Allow me to introduce you all to my first-born son. Big Boy is now 5, he's in kindergarten now.

This Little Man is 7 months old now, but at the time of this picture, he was about 3-4 months. He's a lot bigger now, and I'll try to post some more recent photos soon.

I Know, It's Surprising

Before you say a word, I know, I know. Me? Blogging? It's crazy! I've got to do something to keep up with my sister-in-laws. They're so good at all the blogging, facebook, etc. Anyway, I'll do my best to update as much as possible. It's not easy out here in the woods, though. Dial-up is still the choice-connection out here. Believe me, it's not MY choice, but what can you do when there is no other way.

I can't wait to start blogging about my wonderful family. I hope you enjoy what I have to say, so check back in!