THREE years OLD!

Carson and Kellen are 3!!! We made it another year! These two little guys are sure growing up…you can see it in their looks, in their speech, in how they play, in their behavior (ok, maybe not, it wasn’t so much the terrible two’s for us but I think it’ll be the terrifying THREE’s). Carson is only 30% tube fed now as I said before, compared to 100% a year ago, neither one has their binky now, Kellen is potty trained through the day(Carson occasionally seems to be interested-last night he went three times in a row : ), etc. I love watching them grow up, especially in the times when they are getting along, when they are just playing and laughing with each other : ). There are so many blessings of having twins and especially in our case. Kellen is such a good brother and has a heart that’s only full of love for Carson (even though it comes out as orneriness sometimes). Carson loves to just love on Kellen (whether Kellen likes it or not). They learn from each other, they push each other (literally and figuratively speaking), but most importantly they know there is someone that has their back!

The boys had a wonderful birthday! Kellen told me he liked the cupcakes and opening his presents the most. Carson said his favorites were the orange truck balloons, a card he got from MaMa that plays a honky tonk song, and the cupcakes. Did you hear that, Carson said one of his favorite things was food (it doesn’t matter that it was chocolate on chocolate or that he only ate the icing)! This was the first birthday that Carson even ate any of his birthday cake. Only two years longer than I thought but all the more sweeter!

If you ever question the power of prayer or whether miracles really do happen, just look our way (& don’t be afraid to remind me either : ). In so many ways, Carson is developing just like a typical kiddo even when some doctors didn’t know if he would make it and his care required TWO NICU nurses around the clock. We have come from requiring almost around the clock home nursing when we came home to only having it 4 nights a week. Now I worry more about “Do the boys have friends and do they act age appropriate?” “Will Carson ever be potty trained” “Do the boys know how to count, put their clothes on, hop, skip, etc.? Are they similar to same aged peers?” as compared to “Is Kellen eating/growing?”, “Will Carson be safe through the night? Do I hear the alarm, should I go in to check on him?” We have come from Carson being connected to so many tubes/monitors you couldn’t count them all to times now when he can sleep with no tubes or monitors attached. It is hard to explain but there are so many times that I go in to check on Carson before I go to sleep or when he is napping and I just thank God, that he now sleeps so peacefully. I think this year has really shown us that we can live with a trach and have a lot of fun! I say ‘WE can live with a trach’, because Carson already had that mastered, it was really just us that needed to adapt.  He has had the trach his whole life (well 3 days in) so he knows NO different and is the happiest little man you’ll ever meet. 

Here are some of the pictures from their birthday and party.

The boys woke up to a BUNCH of balloons thanks to Poppy and Daddy!

They LOVE balloons!

Trucks & Mud Puddles!

The boys' first try at breaking a pinata!

Ellie had the touch!

Enjoying the cupcake!

Carson too!!

These were the cards from MaMa that sang to them!

Mimi & Papa's present to the boys

They thought they needed an all terrain vehicle

Carson looks terrified! I hope this is not his face in 13 years : )

Our giant balloon frisbee

Truck painting!

The birthday was fun but TODAY, I think was a gift, straight from God, for me…it was a pretty day (despite the wind) before the cold weather hits. The boys and I spent the morning outside (we had no need for timeouts or “Quit hitting”’s).  We went to the park and ran and laughed and tried to catch the falling leaves. If you’ve never tried it, you need to! You can’t help but smile and laugh. We came home to eat lunch and I asked the boys if they had fun this morning. Carson said he liked laughing! He said, “I laughed, you laughed, and Kellen laughed!” Laughter is such a beautiful gift! I wish I had more pictures from this morning but my stupid phone chose that moment to not have enough storage to take pictures, even though I deleted at least 10. So you’ll just have to imagine our morning at the park with the fall colors, sunshine, and two little boys' laughter and smiles!

Thank you so much, as always, for the love, prayers, and thoughts sent our way!

WE'RE BAAAACK! (as a bunch of M&M's)

We FINALLY got internet! : ) Preston is thinking we made need to disconnect it again because I have made about 10 transactions in the past week. ; ) What can I say...I haven't had internet for over two months and I've been waiting to buy lots of stuff until we did (for the house, for the boys' birthdays, etc).

We had a wonderful (but cold) Halloween! Our family dressed up as M&M's, Meredith was a tootsie roll and Margo was a pig (1 of the 3) : )

The boys were so excited that Ellie came to trick or treat with them!

I've never seen a cuter yellow M&M

Our little family of M&M's

And the whole BUNCH!

The boys had a blast even though it was so cold!!

The boys sure love Margo and Meredith!

Checking out all their loot with Poppy!

I just love this picture! Not sure Ellie was taking it all in but the boys were sure telling her all about their candy (KitKats and Smarties)

 We've been busy the past couple months with getting moved, finishing up with lots of little jobs on the house (but let me tell you, I have a very talented and hard working father-in-law and husband...I'm so thankful because they have done some really good work around the house), trodding through all the mud - especially after the rain showers, trying to figure out how to get a good routine of cleaning a house twice as big as the last one (actually, I've just given up and realized I can't : ), etc. I'm confident we will eventually get some pictures up on the walls but I'm guessing it won't be for awhile : ) Preston finally just said, 'make me a list,' there are so many little jobs to be done that we can't remember all of them.

Thank you so much for the continued prayers! I feel like we are on a roller coaster with Carson's feeding (sometimes we see big improvements and then we hit a lull and then sometimes seem to go backward) but we are still trudging along. I know some of it is just me too, sometimes I just want it to be easy and unfortunately, it just isn't. So then, it is a matter of finding that extra energy to keep plugging along, keeping each meal time as fun as possible while still working on ALL the things that need to be addressed. AND, if I can keep things in perspective and look at the bigger time frame, we have made huge strides. A year ago, Carson was still 100% tube fed and now he only receives 30% of his nutrition through his tube. THAT is encouraging! : )

Here are several pictures over the past few months!

Taking a lunch break with Daddy and Papa

Daddy's helper

They both LOVE to help!

Looks like Nana might be enjoying this game the most : )

We did this over and over and over!

Now it's Poppy's turn to have lunch with the boys! Poppy was very good to come down several times to help hang fans and wire in some of the switches

Carson and Kellen's first Stoddard county fair! The both agreed that they had to ride the train first!

Now for some pumpkin carving!

HELLOOOO in there!

The finished product! (No, we do not make the boys always wear their helmets, although it isn't a bad idea)

We now have two cats, Stripes and Bubba! The boys love them and are really good about helping with their food and litter box.

Decorating our Halloween cookies! Yummmy!

The boys think it is so special when THEY get to hold Ellie!

That smile says it all!

The whole group got in on bedtime stories!

We moved to the boonies!

Long time, no internet! I just wanted to put a quick blog for those of you who have asked...I am still planning on doing the blog and we are all still alive and kicking. We are out at our new house now (our first night there was August 20th), but it sits far enough off the road that we can't seem to find any internet providers that are will to run cables (or whatever else they need) all the way up there. I guess that's what we get for moving out to the country. I should have known, seeing as my dad as spent at least a full year (cumulative) working to get a good internet signal at his house : ) We are now on a waiting list for an internet signal via satellite. So we should have internet by the end of the month and I'll be able to get some pictures up here.

We are doing well! The boys really like the 'new house' and the basement is a God send! The boys play so well down there (and rarely do I hear any bickering). Thank you for your continued prayers! We are so appreciative that so many continue to pray for Carson's full healing! It is not a quick fix but I am confident that one day we will see sweet little Carson with no G-tube and no trach!!!

Much Love!

Where has the time gone?

We have been LOVING these unseasonably cool July weather! We have been able to be outside alot withOUT sweat rolling down our backs! We are preparing to take another trip to Rogersville but have been busy with house stuff...you know you are building a house when your two and a half year olds know the stores "Home Depot", "Lowes", and "Menards." : ) And not only know the names but also know what type/color of  cart each one has. Home Depot's is orange, Menard's is yellow, and Lowe's is blue. Haha! The good part is that it means our house is getting closer to being done...we are hoping to be in it by the end of August.

They really have been good shoppers!

The boys were in their 3rd annual 4th of July parade! We had so much fun! Their favorite fireworks were the snappers, sparklers, and a little tank firework which Daddy and Papa tried out in the pool : ) Only men would think of that!

We chose tricycles this year : ) The boys needed a little help but stayed on their bikes the whole way.

Our crew was a little down in numbers due to the arrival of Ms. Ellie : ) We are anxious for her to make her parade debut next year!

Since the parade, Carson has mastered his tricycle (he can ride the bigger bike but prefers the trike) and Kellen flies on his bike (with training wheels). We continue to make our rounds at the parks, playgrounds, and the new house. Playing in dirt, water, and whatever else we can find! The boys are more and more fun and I LOVE listening to them talk to each other "Darken [Carson] come here", "Love you Kellen", etc. Recently, Kellen came out of the bathroom after going pee and Carson said "Good job Kellen," which Kellen responded with "High five..." with his hand up waiting for Carson to give him a high five : ) Kellen also is a good cheerleader for Carson, whether it is Carson riding his bigger bike or when Carson does successfully go pee in the potty. What fun! But don't get me wrong, we also have the "Stop throwing rocks at Carson" and "Carson, just leave Kellen alone...go play in the other room". So much like normal little boys: )
Like I've said, 'normal' is a word I LOVE to hear...but as much as I love to think I have two 'normal' boys, there are a lot of things that we have to think twice about due to Carson's trach or pack lots of extra stuff or things Carson simply can't do or the fact that it is still common for me to have to clean up puke because Carson gagged on something or something just didn't set right (like at the restaurant this last week). Ugh! But THIS is our normal and I try really hard to focus on the positives because there really are SO many things to be thankful for AND things are getting easier AND I don't have to clean up puke near as much as I used to : ) : ) : ) PERSPECTIVE is huge! We may have to take a 'puke cup' with us, just in case, but at least it is a 'puke cup' and not a 'puke BOWL' and this time last year, it was a good day if Carson took a few TASTES of baby food. Now, he is having bites of hot dogs, bananas, apples, mac & cheese, turkey, etc. AND he loves anything chocolate! It may not be a full meal BUT it is real food!! He is eating and he CAN eat. He is only getting 12 ounces of formula through his Gtube as compared to 30 ounces 8 months ago! So, thank you to all of you who have continued to take interest in our lives and continued to lift Carson up in your prayers! MIRACLES do happen!

Here a few more pictures over the past month!

Our trip to see Ellie when she was about 2.5 weeks old! The boys were SO excited!

Carson's turn...they both 'practiced' at home with their baby before going to Arkansas : )

Completely taken with their new little cousin! (Aren't we all...look at Nana : )

The boys loved that Ellie would hold their finger in her hand!

How cute is this! A trip to Walmart with Mimi and Mer-mer!

Snack time on the deck!

Carson's 'stage'...looks alot like a horse bit but he likes to use the guitar stand as his mic!

Picnic lunch on Mimi and Papa's new patio furniture : )