This week

This week has been LONG! Will was still pretty sick at the beginning of the week so I took the opportunity to break out art, puzzles, games, and some of our worksheets. After all of that I remembered why I like to "go" and do activities with my kids versus all of this! Gaines wakes up every morning and has to get ready to go to work. Sometimes he is a cowboy teaching cowboy school and sometimes he is a builder going to a construction site. You never know how we are starting the day off with him! Garrick had a conference in Nashville and a couple of work things so we have been solo a little more than usual this week. The weather has been unusually pleasant for late-July. Mom watched the boys on Saturday night so that helped get me through the week! We had a marathon Saturday morning but it was so much fun.

After 14 pieces of paper and 3 mediums only 40 minutes was taken up!

Will working on coloring his race car we put together.

Breaking out the learning games.
Gaines to Will: "Do you want me to tell you why I beat you? Because I'm good at it  and I love it.

Will feeling much better on Sunday night.

Trying to play Memory with the boys. They will not listen to the rules nor follow them.

I told the boys they only had an hour at Mimi and Papa's and it took Gaines a good 30 minutes to prepare for his and Papa's exploring. They had to make a checklist to remember everything they may need and a basket to carry it all.

Our first day to do something fun in a week! We went to Providence pool for the first time all summer. Boys had a blast!

Will made new friends and played. Gaines just did his own thing!

Gaines got hit in the face at the pool with a bucket by an older kid. Really hurts! Will not stop bleeding.

Play date with Ezra

The boys played for 2 hours. Gaines is going to miss being in class with Ezra, they have been together for 3 years!
Gaines had quite a few ideas on what and when they would play certain things. He was showing off like crazy and driving me nuts. He wore his Toy Story shirt for Ez because he likes Toy Story.

My  lunch dates on Friday. Gaines has been wanting some "glasses" so this is what we got.

Will took this picture for his big cousin Emma - she loves Firehouse Subs too.

My crazy boys on Friday.

Friday Night Dinner Picnic at Pool and Late Night Swim
Daddy needs to go out of town on weekends more often!

Finally after a summer of Little Slugger classes Will does not cry at all! He had such a good class. Last time he got upset because he did not get the red bat/tee and I told him he just had to be the quickest. Well when the Coach said go to a tee he took off like a bat out of hell for the red one. He does not miss a trick.

I was so proud of him! He never missed a ball.

Coach said Gaines did better listening but he is so not interested.

Ava's Splash Pad opened today at Charlie Daniel's Park. It was awesome! 

The boys had a blast! What a great way to honor Ava Bright's short and precious life.

Thrilled to have this in MJ

Gaines did the dunking booth and they both did some of the water slides at Water Day.

We ended our marathon of a Saturday morning with the Farmer's Market.

Bath and beards at Nonni's house

Will is looking in a mirror that Poppy is holding for him to make his beard. My children are spoiled.

The text I received from Mom when I asked how the boys were doing:

We watched a few shows, packed up your car with bikes and everything they owned, without paci.  McDonald's for supper, got you gas. Ate, made our puppets, had two shows. After making theatre.  Took police car outside and rode that .  Gaines fell walking he's ok, but would have thought differently.  Bubble baths, held mirror up in the bathtub so they could see their beards.  Put medicine on cuts and band aids.  Got a mat out of wills eyes.  Played ball outside and heard fireworks. Crickets and frogs.  Made our beds, poppy is reading to them now.  It's popcorn and movie time and no they are not in bed.

This is the ribeye that Garrick and Dan split - 36 ounces!

Dinner at The Husk with the Applegates

We stopped by The Stage to see Uncle Grant work his magic.

Croup

Will started running a fever on Thursday night and had no appetite but I thought at first it may just be a fever virus. Then by Friday morning he had started a croup cough. Every time he would sneeze or cough it would sound like a seal bark (because everyone knows what that sounds like..right?) or a sound that made you turn around and say, "What in the world was that?!?!" I took him to the doctor on Friday morning and he confirmed it was Croup. I remember Gaines had croup but I do not remember it being as bad as this. 

He has been so lethargic with no appetite. When he has a croup fit, it is so scary because he is just grasping for air and then panics because he can't breathe. Basically all you can do for it is keep him calm, a hot steamy shower, and a humidifier. 

Friday night was miserable. Garrick and I both were up every hour almost. I slept in Will's room and when he would wake up with a coughing/breathing fit Garrick would start the shower in the bathroom and I would bring him in as we tried to keep him calm to catch his breath. 

Saturday morning around 9am he got a little energy but still running fever his fits were less severe during the day. Saturday night, we were not doing the shower thing as much but more trying to keep him from gagging and throwing up. 

Sunday, still running a fever and screaming when even water went down his throat. This is miserable! 

Monday seemed to be better. He even ate and had energy and then totally crashed after nap. He threw up everything he ate. He still has not eaten much. I weighed him and he has lost 2 pounds in 4 days. 

Today, we headed back to doc and everything seemed to check out ok. Dr. Mukundan seemed to think the croup has just affected everything but he was super concerned about the weight loss. Hoping we can get him to eat something soon. For my baby boy to deny sweets means he is really sick. We are going on Day 6 of not doing anything besides hang at home. We are going stir crazy!

At the doc on Friday

On Saturday morning I finally got him to get off the couch for about 2 hours.

Sunday Night - pitiful

Fifth Disease

On Sunday when I got home Gaines's cheeks were so red and Garrick happened to google diarrhea and red cheeks and fifth disease popped up. The symptoms fit Gaines to a tee and I took him to the doc today and it was confirmed. I am thinking this all started with Will and we just thought he had had a reaction to the sun Memorial Day weekend. 

I have been really not feeling well for going on about 3 weeks. It started with my OB putting me on progesterone for irregular periods and that made me crazy, then I started getting daily headaches (I have probably had 4 headaches in the past 4 years!), exhausted, knots on my head and behind my ear, rash on arms and legs, my entire body ached, depressed, and then the icing on the cake was my fingers and feet/ankles started swelling as bad as when I was 40 weeks preganant. I am never sick and I could not figure out what was wrong. I could explain each symptom with something but when I started saying it all out loud I really got worried. I even thought maybe it was Rheumatoid Arthritis - truly that's how bad I felt. Needless to say when Garrick sent me the article on Fifth Disease the symptoms in adults were EXACTLY what I had. I had made a doctor's appointment for today last week to see what was going on and he said it was pretty much text summer virus in adults. He also looked at the breakout on my hands. These red pimple like bumps show up and itch for a few days only on the top and palms of my heads and same for my feet. I have had this happen off and on for 10 years but no one can really figure out the cause. He thought maybe it was a form of Excema but it got so bad and the itching was so extreme that a walk-in clinic called me in a steroid pack. I have not been on steroids in probably 15 years and it was a God-send! It made the bumps stop itching and I felt like a million bucks! I was so relieved but also in shock that a silly "summer virus" could make you feel this bad.

So thankful for finally feeling better!

My cowboy with his rosy cheeks - Fifth Disease

Gaines enjoyed my bridesmaid gift as much as I did!

Boys Weekend with Daddy & Grandparents

We headed to Knoxville for a long weekend for Meghan and Chris's wedding. I needed to be there on Thursday night to start all my bridesmaids "duties" including pampering and entertaining the bride! Garrick was going to stay with the boys at a hotel and then take them to Stacie's for the weekend. Gaines had had a couple of loose stools but nothing too consistent to even note until Thursday night hit! Garrick was up all night with him and full on diarrhea and then he threw up as well. On Friday, he kept debating on what to do since we were not really sure if this was a fluke or not so he finally decided to drive BACK to MJ and spend the night and see if Will catches it or if Gaines gets better. They went by Aunt Stacie's to see Tucker and Chloe because Will would not stop talking about his cousin dogs. On Saturday, he seemed better so Garrick left the boys with Mom and Dad and came BACK to the wedding! He had to work on Monday so he stayed in Knoxville and I came back. So much for plans!

Will was so excited they had a basketball court at the hotel!

Dinner with Daddy on Thursday night.

The boys not feeling good on Friday.
Garrick went through all their clothes for the weekend plus the extras!

So happy! A boy and his cousin dog!

Just hanging with his buddy. 

Nonni and Poppy took the boys to get new outfits for their Build-A-Bears

Feeling much better but have really rosy cheeks.

Cheese

Shopping with their Grandparents

Sickly February

So far we have started February off with a bang with illness around this house. We thought Gaines had pink eye so we treated him and he missed school - come to find out once it would not go away for days that it may have just been allergies. Which is interesting, because 2 years ago around this time we started him on Zyrtec daily because we could not get his eyes to stop watering. Maybe this is going to be his allergy season. 


We have been to the doctor's office 3 times in 10 days.

Look at his poor weak eyes

Then Will got sick. Before we took him to the doctor on Friday, we made a quick trip to the zoo. it has been so long since we have been and I knew the boys needed to be outside!

Love this pic of the boys! Shows their personalities to a tee!

My zoo guides

Always one step behind his big bro

My sweet 3 year old!

Poor Will, he had an ear infection then started throwing up, ran a high fever, had trouble breathing so they put him on breathing treatments and steroids. Finally after about 10 days of this we are finally better (knock on wood!).