2 Little Monkeys... And A Doctor

Catchy title, huh?! Bet it captured your attention... but it's really NOT what you think! I'll start with a tale of two little monkeys. (You guessed it! Emmalie & Bethanie!). It goes something like this...

Two little monkeys jumping on Mom & Dad's bed...

Laughing and smiling to the songs in their heads...

Then one ran into the other and Emma bit her tongue (OUCH!)...

After a tear or two were shed, the laughter came back...

And Emma started pretending she was a dog named "Jack":)

Now to clear up the "doctor" reference. Bethie-Boo had her visit with the ENT today. It was nothing that we hadn't already expected... she had a great big vocabulary in early January and hasn't built upon it much since then, she's had recurrent ear infections, and her reflux is a precursor to issues with her ears, throat and respiratory system. Sooooooo, she goes in next week for tubes in both ears. I was hoping that they would be able to do it right there in the office like they did with Emmalie's; however, Bethie is too old and too strong to have it done that way. That means another surgery and recovery for our poor baby girl.

On a lighter note... Bethanie has gained some weight! She's up 5 1/2 ounces in just under four weeks. (If you've been following our trials with her, you know this is a HUGE thing). She hasn't had that much of a weight gain in months, literally! Her Pediatric Gastrointerologist called Friday to check on her... and now we are also weaning Bethanie off of her Prevacid since she's been tolerating life without formula okay for the past month. YEAH! We may never have to buy formula again (unless it's a gift or something)! So, even though she has her tubes to brave next week, our little trooper is getting her act together:)

That's it for an update from a rather wet and flooded land of ladybugs and bulldogs... YES! Tony & I were correct on Dalton's tourny being "all washed up" this past weekend. Hope everyone in the midwest survived the flash floods, high winds and tornadoes. Until next time.

A Special Day... & Some Pictures, TOO!

First thing's first... anyone want to make a bet on the likelihood that Dalton's baseball tournament this weekend will be cancelled due to rain? NONE of his first three tournaments were ever finished because of bad weather on either both or one of the tourny days. Tony won't place money because we both are about 150% sure this one will follow suit!

Now on to more important things... like TONY'S BIRTHDAY! On April 25th, some years ago, Anthony Guy was born. Yes, that ruggedly handsome man I married is turning one year older tomorrow. I won't give away his age (not because it would bother him, but rather because I'm a few years older than him and don't want to face my age!). Here is a little tribute to the "Birthday Boy"... my wonderful husband... and an awesome Dad!

Baby Tony (I think at his Baptism)

Toddler Tony (see a little bit of Bethanie there!)

Top 5 Things We Love About Tony:

1. His cooking! (Even if he isn't maticulous about doing the dishes afterwards!).
2. His sarcasm... especially when we get it and others don't!
3. His ability (and willingness) to fix EVERYTHING! The deck, the car, the drive...
4. His honesty... though sometimes, I have to admit, it can be brutal!
5. His carefree and playful personality. That is what makes him the most wonderful Dad (and husband, too).

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TONY! WE LOVE YOU!

It just dawned on me as Emmalie sits here helping me pick out pictures to post... we totally skipped posting Easter pictures:( And the weather has been so nice, we now have more pictures from the park and zoo to share. I'm slackin' really bad here... Sorry!

Emmalie all "giddy" at the thought of chocolate!
(She is more like Mom every day!)

Bethanie: "What? Did you say I
CAN EAT the candy?!"

Devin may have escaped any pictures lately,
but Dalton wasn't so lucky!

I'll close with some of our outdoor fun over the past week. The weather has been soooo great lately... and we've been to the zoo once and playground twice. (Our favorite playground is a quiet toddler friendly one up by one of Dalton's practice fields. We've met a lot of nice people there, and the playground is one of the safest we've been to for kids under the age of five). Hope you have as much fun watching as we had playing:)

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Shelia, Devin, Dalton, Emmalie & Bethanie

P.S. Devin has a job:) And Dalton now has hit three (3) Home Runs this season... the last two were over 240 feet each and "out-of-the-park". (He says it happens when his coaches tell him to "just relax"!). It should be an interesting summer.

Walkin' for a Cause...

That's right folks... today was our March for Babies (March of Dimes) walk! It was actually a nice day for a little walk around the river... Little to no wind and overcast skies with temps in the high 60's. Tony, Emmalie, Bethanie & I walked with my team from work. The girls enjoyed themselves. But how could they not... between the "kids' zone" activities, aired up jumping machine, dressed up animal mascots, and opportunity to see and play with many more babies/kids their age. It was great to see the Grafs (and their adorable foresome), the Hansons (with their trio of cuties), and other friends who've had to experience having a baby in the NICU. There were a lot of walkers again this year. I am always thrilled to see such a great turnout of supporters for such a wonderful and worthwhile cause. The team I led from work was able to reach our fundraising goal, which made me even more excited about walking today!

Tony put himself into "photographer" mode and was able to get a lot of good pictures. So, without further adieu, I give you a glimpse of our exciting Saturday morning...:)

Our Team... well, about 1/2 of it!
Emmalie held the sign with our team name
during photos... Boy, did she feel special:)

Bethanie during the walk around the river...
Here she was laughing and pointing at the teenage boy
walking behind us in the "donate plasma" costume!

Emmalie giving the bear one of her "Bear Hugs"!

Toddlers, Toddlers & MORE Toddlers!
(Crystal & Brent Hanson with their triplets,
Moni & Billy with the Graf Quads,
our Marketing Director (Paul) and his son,
and Emmalie, Bethanie & I)

The girls & I had a fun time walkin' & talkin'

Emmalie... taking a rest from jumping (and walking, too)!

Emmalie decided Billy was her new best friend
and attempted to talk his ear off...
SORRY BILLY:)

My colleague and friend Moni with her adorable family...

My friend Tiffany and the Hansons

Okay, now what would one of our posts be without a little sports thrown in! Dalton's baseball team won their first league game last night... a real "nail-biter" that went through six innings, most of which was scoreless. (You know one of those games that makes a coaches butt pucker!). They turned around and started in another tournament this morning and beat that same team again! Dalton also now has his 1st Home Run of the season... I hear he ran the bases so fast he touched home plate before the ball made it back into the in-field. (YES... I heard, because I had to return to work after walking at the March for Babies Walk). I guess Dalton must have thought he was back in football with the quick feet... or he just wanted to make SURE he had a home run!

That's it for words from our crazy, but wonderful life. Hope everyone has a weekend full of fun.

A Wonderful Date

It was so nice to finally get another "date night" with Tony last night... we have been trying to get one for months! Though it was well worth it, I realized Tony & I are not the same youngsters we once were who could stay out all night on a date... not because of child responsibilities... but rather because we have gotten to mature mature :0


We dropped the kids off with my friend Monica for the evening... then on to supper. It was so strange not having at least a couple of kids there with us. No crayons on the table... no kids menus to order from... no multiple trips to the bathroom just to keep the girls entertained waiting on their food... and ADULT conversation only! The waitress was amazing and it was just a wonderful start to our evening.






Then on to the concert... WHICH WAS SO GOOD! Thanks to our boys, I have had the ability to know who the younger bands were before they ever "hit it big". I was looking forward most to seeing Jeremy Camp, Tenth Avenue North and Addison Road... but the lead singer for Addison Road is off tour do to having her baby (congrats to her!). Soooooo... they opened with The Afters instead! I would've paid just to see them alone... they have to be one of the best harmony groups around right now. Actually, the entire concert was great. If you ever get to see any of these groups in person, don't pass it up. The crowd totally erupted when Tenth Avenue North did their live rendition of "By Your Side" and Hawk Nelson did the "Let's Dance" remix... and Mercy Me provided a great ending to the concert. Though the whole "christian rock" and scripture experience was probably not Tony's favorite way to spend the evening... he didn't complain once and showed how much he must really love me to go with me like that :)

Shelia

Sing a little tune... or at least a JAZZY one!

Just as the title might imply: Dalton's music teacher wonderfully worked out a second concert for us this year... which wasn't supposed to happen (but we were thrilled to get another chance to see him "perform"!). They chose "Jazz" music and it was such a blast to watch the large group of 6th grade football players try to sing and do choriography to it all while smiling:) Actually, Dalton and the rest of the boys couldn't keep a straight face most of the concert... and the other kids were either really interested in musical performance, or appeared to hate the whole idea!

In other news... Bethanie had her 18-month check-up today. It didn't go quite as well as I had hoped. She still only weighs in at 19-lbs fully clothed (less than the 3rd percentile). But her height is doing well... 25th percentile. THAT EXPLAINS WHY HER PANTS KEEP FALLING DOWN... and here we thought Bethanie was just preparing to be a plumber's wife when she grows up:) Seriously though, that girl can take four steps and have totally walked out of her pants... it's the funniest thing to watch! We are back to weekly weight checks and tracking, meal maintenance, and preparing for the possibility of further testing if she doesn't gain 4-5 oz a month over the next two months. In the mean time... Bethanie gets to visit the ENT for ear tubes. (I know, the poor girl can't win for losing). I'm sure the ENT already has at least one new car purchased off the money he made from doing Dalton & Emmalie's surgeries last fall... so what's one more, right?!?!

Tony & I are planning a "date night" for Good Friday... we're going to see the Rock and Worship Roadshow. Three of my favorite Christian Rock singers/groups will be performing: Jeremy Camp, Third Avenue North & Addison Road. I cannot think of a better way to spend a date with my husband as we celebrate Good Friday with music!

That is the end of the "latest & greatest" from the land of ladybugs & bulldogs. I'll close with a little clip of videos for your viewing pleasure:)

A cancellation due to WEATHER?!

Would you believe that they cancelled the final game day of Dalton's baseball tournament for today due to weather? And, would you believe that it's not the usual rain or stormy weather, but rather a winter wind and cold advisory?! The weather is way to freakin' crazy and unpredictable around here :0

It's all good though... the girls were able to spend some time running around the baseball park on Friday & Saturday. AND, Tony was able to get some awesome action photos with his new camera. When they resume play, Dalton's team is playing for 3rd place. (Which isn't bad for the number of teams).

Without further adieu.... I give you the first of many rounds of baseball pictures!

Dalton's 1st @ bat of the season... A double!

Dalton & Dylan strategize in the outfield
(We're the home team on the scoreboard!)

Dalton readies to catch a hit to left field

Safe @ 1st... & talking smack to his best bud Colton!

That is our weekend in a nutshell :) Hope your weekend ends on a wonderful note as we all prepare for Easter week activities with this, the beginning of Holy Week...

Happy PALM SUNDAY everyone!