Fall is Here...

I loved summer. But fall is wonderful. I love the smell of outdoor fires, and the coolness of the air. I dislike fall for one reason only. My son's asthma. Once again, my middle son spent 4 days attached to oxygen, and hooked up to IV's. His ox levels were very low, and the doctors seem to think it may have been linked to the H1N1 flu virus. Of course it was.

He was a sick little kid. I spent the night on a hospital couch, holding his hand, and asking a million questions even at 4am. His nurses were great. Even almost 3 weeks later, he is still not 100% well. The good news is that all this took place 3 days before his birthday, and not on his birthday. We got to celebrate his 10 years with his family. Sadly, all the paintball plans were lost in translation. It was not a fun time but we survived.

His little brother was almost sick with fret the entire time his brother was in the hospital, and actually wanted to bring is sleeping bag to sleep right next to his brother. Of course there was no way that could happen. Levi slept with Wyatt's favorite toy, and even packed a toybag just for Wyatt with special surprises. It was a wonderful thing to see. He is in complete love with his older brother. I know when there is yelling and screaming at each other, and tears are streaming down cheeks, that the love is there. Wyatt's older brother was not as fretty, but at school wanted everyone to join him in praying for his brother. Wonderful.

We are a very close family. And I am so proud that my boys know that.

Halloween is another favorite fall event and this year we celebrated big. Levi was a Transformer, and Wyatt was a zombie. Cody didn't trick or treat but enjoyed doing his favorite Elvis impersonation. Mom went with us to trick or treat, and as we walked along and greeted my neighbors we couldn't help but laugh at Wyatt and his zombiness. Even his walk was spooky.

There's only so much candy one kid can get before even they get tired and bored. After two or three streets, we walked slowly back home. The boys dragging thier loot behind them. The best part is dumping the bags on the floor to see what they got. Mom and me got our fair pay with mini candy bars, and some other goodies! Levi made sure his candy did not get mixed with his brothers, three days later, yep, one bag. So now, we look foward to Thanksgiving. This one will be a little more special than any in the past. But that story is for another day.

The end of Summer

The last few months being at home with my three sons have been great. We have been swimming almost everday, We have camped. We have done nothing. This summer is offically over for me tomorrow and I am sad. My five year old starts real school this year. He thinks he's excited, but he's not sure how to react yet. I know how I'm going to react. Levi is such a wonderful little boy. He's ALL boy. He does things without the thought of I may get hurt. He's tough, loud and knows it all. He adores his older brothers, and can rumble with the best of them. I took Levi to the fabric store with me last week. I made sure to buy him something to eat from Sonic, just so he wouldn't have to come in the store with me and he could sit outside on a bench. I could see him clearly. He sat down, bag in hand, feet dangling and was happily eating his lunch. 5 minutes!! That's all I need! I picked out a fabulous piece of fabric with some ribbon and paid the lady. I didn't even stop to chat about world events or the fact this was my first attempt at curtains. My baby was waiting for me. He said he had chatted with no one, just as I instructed. He said he threw his bag away, just as I instructed, and he said he didn't even move from his spot, just as I instructed..except for that time he had to really pee. Of course he points out a huge river of pee coming from the side of the pillar in front of the fabric store.

He told me in a matter of fact manner, that he had to go, and he thought it was a perfect spot. Of course in my mind I'm thinking about the hundreds of women that were coming in and out of this store, and watching my son standing there peeing, and to think he could have been greeting them with a wave and a smile too! The river of pee was already making it's way next door. I explained to Levi that public peeing was frowned upon my old women coming in and out of fabric stores, and although he didn't want to leave his post, it would be ok to come in and pee in private. He said no one really saw him and he'd stop his stream if someone came in or out. Reminder to self, teach incognito. I'm hoping that those women that did get a private showing looked at Levi's blue eyes and was put into a small trance and soon forgot what they saw.

I know his future teachers will certainly love Levi. They will surly grow to enjoy his view of the world as much as I have. If I can keep him from peeing in public places, or saying dammit when he's mad, or even keeping his temper in check, then I think we'll have a pretty good year. This deserves a continual update.

Weekend Fun.

My Dad decided to surprise us by showing up at our house last Tuesday. What a wonderful surprise. We spent most of the week hanging out and just enjoying his company. Dad hasn't been feeling too good for quite sometime, so to see him with good color in his face and lots of energy was such a relief. This time last month he was really having a hard time with his breathing, and still fighting an infection of the lungs. We thought his days of being dependent on oxygen fulltime had finally come. And I know he dreads it. We dread it. Somehow, be it the fact that he refuses to give in to the thought of dragging a bottle of air around with him, or thinking it will really cramp his style, whatever the case, he has overcome his illness and is back to normal. Friday he had planned to go back home, and by Thursday I had decided we would pack up and join him. Our summer vacation is soon to come to and end and with that our freedom to just pack up and go will also come to an end, so why not. Central Texas has been in a severe drought for several months now. The country side has burned up, the animals are starving, and rivers have dried up. West Texas on the other hand has been blessed with cool rains almost daily, low temps, and lush greenery, and we are not used to it. By the time we left early Friday morning, it had rained pretty much all night and it was still a nice overcast of gray clouds. By the time we got over halfway to Austin, this is what we see.

Rain, Rain and more rain. That's Dad behind us.

We leave our city to get away from all the rain and it decideds to follow! Good for you folks in Central Texas! By the time we got to Dad's house, it had rained over 6 inches at his house! Amazing, and yes thank you.
By Saturday it had cleared and so we decided to spend a day at Fort Hood in Killeen. The great thing about the adventure, is that Dad felt good enough to come with us. Wyatt my ten year old, is a future military person. It's a good thing I packed every piece of military garb he owns.

Even his flip flops are camo.

I'm not sure what was going on here, but I see my youngest taking his favorite pose of hands crossed and not budging.

Yes, that's one big copter.

It was a really great day and I think everyone enjoyed it. The next visit will be to the Oatmeal festival for Labor Day weekend. This is truly a family event, and one, Robin, Wilma and all the kids have always enjoyed.