Language Development Study

Yesterday, I took Buddy to UE for a language development study in their Psychology department.  They played with Buddy by showing him new toys and different uses for old toys.  It's amazing how children learn to speak and make connections between different items.   Buddy was very cooperative, seemed to enjoy his playtime, and even scored a new ball from the experiment!  It was fun watching him learn and play.  I hope he helped them with their project!!

That evening, he had a big night out on the town with Mimi.  They went shopping with "Woo" and went to his favorite restaurant for spaghetti and breadsticks. 

Cover Girl

It's official - I've made my second appearance on the cover of a magazine! My first cover was almost 18 years ago with a group of teens (including my big brother) for a local teen magazine. My latest photo op was for my college alumni quarterly magazine. My girlfriend and I took a few minutes off from work one afternoon to pose for the picture on the riverfront. (I'm in the 4th row, third from the right.)

And the next illness is.......

Drumroll, please - STREP THROAT!!! Our precious Sugie was sent home from school today with a 104 degree fever. She was a pitiful sight, but yet she was so sweet and loving. The doctor confirmed that it was strep, so that means more sick days in our future! Sugie will be devastated when she finds out that she'll miss swim lessons tomorrow. Hope you have a fast recovery, Sugie!!!

Mimi picked up Buddy from school today to help us out. They visited Grandma at her new rehab home, where mom said that he was a big hit. Buddy had the attention of all of the ladies!! He got to push grandma's wheelchair and was lucky enough to score some ice cream!

Happy 40th!

We went to a special friend’s 40th birthday party on Sunday. The kids were finally feeling better, so we had a great time. Buddy started eating again on Saturday, so he ate pounds of cheese at the party. After overcoming intial fears, Sugie had a ball jumping off of the diving board, zooming down the water slide, and soaking in the hot tub with the hubby. I played Guitar Hero for the first time and got booed off the stage. We were sorry to have missed our other picnic, but we had a blast in the pool. This was the last birthday party on our calendar, so it was a super fun end to birthday party season!!

Fireworks

We actually did have a little bit of fun on the 4th when we held our own fireworks show! We knew that the kids would be too exhausted to view the city’s fireworks on the river at 9:30, so the hubby and Sugie picked up some fireworks for us. I had fun chasing the “Double Parachuter”, of which I only found one, Sugie loved the “Dancing Butterflies”, and the hubby had a blast dodging shrapnel from the “Saturn Missiles”. (Some even ended up in the pool!!) Little Buddy slept peacefully through the show.

We had so much fun with our show that we bought more fireworks on Saturday and did it all over again!! At 9:30, loud booming woke Sugie up and really scared her! The 4H Center puts on a big fireworks display annually. We cuddled Sugie on our bed and watched the excitement over the trees in our backyard. Now, that’s my kind of show! No crowds, no bugs, no traffic!!

On Sunday, Sugie begged us for another fireworks show. I think she’s addicted to pyrotechnics!!!

Happy (?) 4th of July

This year’s 4th was kind of a bust. First of all, we almost always go out of town for the 4th of July. Usually we visit St. Louis, but were going to try out Louisville this year – mostly b/c Sugie’s hotel in the Lou was already booked!! But, since both kids were sick, we were stuck here. We planned on going to a friend’s cookout on Friday afternoon, but they postponed the party until Sunday due to wet & stormy weather forecasts. (BTW – we didn’t even get a drop of rain…thanks weather dudes!)

So, we were ok with the idea of a nice, relaxing day off. Then, the hubby had big troubles with the weed eater and my washing machine decided to quit working. Buddy was still pretty fussy, so the hubby and Sugie went on a shopping spree for new appliances. I’m usually one to research & compare big purchase items, but instead I gave the hubby free reign. My washer and dryer showed up on Saturday in my favorite color! The hubby did a great job picking out everything. Thanks to my mom for doing load upon load of our laundry for the week!!!

Double Sick

Hand, foot, & mouth disease is evil! My precious little baby boy has been ill since last Thursday and hasn’t made much progress with getting better. His fever is gone, but he has a throat and mouth full of painful sore and blisters. Little Buddy has not eaten anything since almost a week ago and bursts into tears and cries out “owie” when he drinks something. Today, his lips are so red and swollen that he can’t close his mouth. There are no medications, other than pain relievers, to help him out. However, he refuses to take anything b/c of the intense pain. This is one of the saddest things I’ve been through as a parent.

Our other little darling has also come down with something! She has a fever, sore throat, and stomachache, but is getting along much better than her baby brother. The hubby has been at home with the children all week. I wish I could be there, but I can’t take off work this week. Please get better soon little angels!!