Chronicles of a Crazy Week...

It's safe to say that I... the 33-week along pregnant momma, was the only member of the family going strong this week.  Let's start from the beginning:

Tuesday 3:30 PM:  Lucas and I headed to visit Dr. Mernitz for our regular check-up for "Baby Mac".  Lucas got to hold the heartbeat instrument thingy and report to the doctor Mac's heartbeat (134 bps).  We also got word that Mac's head is now down and probably for good!  Great news!!!

Tuesday 12:30 AM:  Eric gets home from his usual Tuesday night hangout with the guys and notices our garage attic door is open with the light on.  He thinks this is strange so he does some investigating.  I'll spare all the details but while jumping down from the attic his wedding ring gets caught on the door and yanks his finger... pretty good.  After a conversation with his brother Kevin and analyzing the situation (a VERY swollen finger, lots of blood, and impending loss of circulation) he decides to drive to the ER.  After SEVERAL hours, 4 stitches, and his wedding ring cut off from his finger, Eric came home for a mere 2 hours of sleep.

Wednesday 6:00 AM:  I wake Sophie up, get her dressed, and she and I hurry out the door to drive down to Indianapolis to have her left ear tube removed from her ear.  Two weeks ago we found out from her ENT Doc that it needed to happen and the sooner the better.  Since this minor surgery required Dr. Shelton to put Soph to sleep for a bit, she couldn't eat or drink anything until after the procedure.  Surprisingly though, she didn't even notice we skipped breakfast.  We got checked in around 7:15 and waited for the Dr. to come.  Meanwhile...

Wednesday 7:15 AM:  Eric and Lucas were home, dressed for school, and ready to eat breakfast.  At the breakfast table Eric decided to show Lucas his finger and removed the bandages.  Whoops.  Immediately Lucas fainted.  Yes... fainted.  Poor kiddo.  He came back to it after a few minutes but Eric will tell you he was pretty out of it for several minutes.  They packed up, hopped in the car, headed to Towne Meadow, and Eric had the nurse check him out, just to make sure he was okay.  (He was...although didn't have much of a recollection of the morning's events... naturally.)

Wednesday 8:00 AM: The anesthesiologist (a former student's dad!) and nurses come in and introduce themselves to Sophie and me.  They make the biggest fuss over Soph.  Dr. Shelton then comes in, goes over the procedure, and they take Soph's hand and walk her away.  [insert tears here]  I waited patiently in the consult room just 15 minutes then Shelton comes back and says all went just great.  Soph woke up pretty groggily and immediately wanted me to hold and rock her.  She did say her ear hurt but that was the only time she complained the rest of the day. 

We left 30 minutes later, only after rocking and snuggling Soph...probably more than I really needed to, but we were too comfy to leave.  :)  By the time she and I got home, she had an appetite and showed her first smile since the procedure when I mentioned maybe watching a cartoon.  I got it on camera:

Within an hour of being home Sophie was running around, pulling out all of her favorite toys.

Sophie and Daddy's hospital bracelets...

Lucas came home from school and joined in on the fun after Soph's 3 1/2 hour nap...

Clearned off countertop = a perfect spot for a baseball game.

So, as you can imagine, it was quite the 24 hours.  This was all sandwiched between a week full of meetings, appointments (Lucas visited Dr. Harper on Thursday), trips to the park, baseball games, and small group.  It was quite... the... week.   BUT, we made it through and I'd say Eric, Lucas, and Sophie are all back to good health.  Eric's finger is healing well and Lucas has decided that being a doctor is probably not something he'll pursue when he gets older. :)

#4.

One....very....happy....boy.  Thanks Grandma and Grandpa.

Books.

So thankful for the pure enjoyment my kiddos find in books... here is where I found Soph a few nights ago...

Our Sunshine Girl

Since the temps have been inching their way up...

here's a sneak peek into how Sophie prefers to spend her time:

We had our first hot dog roast a few days ago, too.  I must say, I can hardly contain my excitement for this warm season ahead.  Fresh air...here we come!!!

Here Fishy...Fishy...Fishy...

First comes practice...

...then comes the real thing... we packed a "picnic" (fried chicken...isn't that what everyone takes on a picnic?) and headed to Potter's Bridge to fish and take in the warmer temps...

**BEST PICTURE EVER**

A great time had by all.  No fish were caught but was that really the point? :)

Shiner

Yesterday, Lucas and Mindy went to the bowling alley after school. Everything was going great until on the 10th frame, Lucas got just a little too close to the back swing of his friend (and Mindy's student).  Here's a couple pics to chronicle his 1st black eye.

Immediately following the impact, there was a nice sized goose egg. This pic does not do it justice.

 This morning, it had mostly gone down and had some good color showing up.

According to his teacher, Lucas was loving the extra attention at school. By the time he got home, it had really darkened and he was excited to pose for a few pics.

What a tough looking guy. Did I mention the little bump didn't stop him from the 1st baseball practice last night? The IronPigs start the season with a 9am game this Saturday. I'm not sure who is more excited, Lucas or Sophie. Little sister is pretty pumped about going to the baseball games.

Spring Break 2013

Dearest Lucas and Sophie,

I must say, it sounds as if your spring break was one of the best yet!  I saw pictures and read all about it HERE on Grandma's blog!  You also shared all day today about the super fun times you had with Grandma and Grandpa- Lucas you highlighted the beat-ups and basketball and Sophie you mentioned books and playing doggies.  What great memories!! 

Your dad and I decided a few months ago that it'd be fun to celebrate Mom getting her Masters done and having a little getaway before your baby brother comes in 9 short weeks.  Plus, we know how much you enjoy visiting G and G in Ohio and we hadn't seen them in quite some time! 

After Easter lunch Dad and I hopped in our rental car and began our 14 hour trip down south to Orange Beach, Alabama.  We made it about 8 hours until Dad got pretty sleepy so we spent the night in Athens, Alabama before heading the rest of the way on Monday.  The first thing I noticed when we got to our condo- it was warm and sunny and there was sand everywhere!  We walked into our condo while it was still getting cleaned so we left our luggage and headed to the beach for a few hours.  The "big lake" you see in the background is the Gulf of Mexico which eventually joins the Atlantic Ocean. 

 Yup- remember that chair you guys got me for Mother's Day?  Dad insisted on taking it with us- so glad we did.  It was the perfect seat for my perch in the sand.

 It looks a lot like Lake Michigan doesn't it?  It's actually much bigger!!  The water was super duper cold but we got in up to our knees- Dad went further.  We both said you two would have dunked your heads in for sure.  : )

 We carved your names in the sand but had to do it fast!  The waves came quickly and washed them away.

One afternoon Dad left to get his hair cut and came back with tacos and an umbrella for us to enjoy on the beach.

 Here's the view from one of the walkways outside our condo.  This particular day was cloudy and chilly so we enjoyed some extra naps and games inside our room.

 After a morning of rain and wind it cleared up a bit enough for us to take a walk (chilly!).  We found all kinds of new shells that had washed up on the shore.  We collected some that we thought you'd love and brought them home with us.

 When we weren't on the beach we did some fun sight-seeing that included a neat walk down a big pier, a quick drive to Florida, souvenir shopping/browsing, putt-putting, outlet mall shopping, and eating seafood.  Our first big meal was a seafood take-out shack across the street from the condo where we ordered our food and they prepare it but we took it back and enjoyed it in our condo.  Dad had shrimp and gumbo soup and I had snow crab legs.  Yum! 

While we had a wonderful time, we talked a lot about what we thought you two crazies were doing.  We sure missed you a lot!  Sophie, you mentioned on one phone call (or "cone phall" as you say) that you'd like to come to the beach with us sometime and Dad and I both said we think you and Lucas would LOVE it.  Someday for sure, my dear.  This year was special because Dad and I had some fun times just the two of us and we don't get to do that very much PLUS you got Grandma and Grandpa all to yourselves.  That's also pretty special, hah?

Oh and one more funny story.  All that time Dad and I had in the car driving and we STILL haven't decided on a name for your baby brother.  Oh dear!  : )

XOXOXO- Love,

Mom and Dad

Easter 2013

 Decorating Easter bunnies

 Saturday we drove up to Grandma and Grandpa's house and had an Easter egg hunt after PM naps.

 Lucas:  Hey, one is already open...I guess I'll have to eat it! :)

 Sunday morning we got ready for church and even had time to spare!

 After the service we headed to Great-Grandma Rupp's house for a delicious meal and time together with our family.  It was a great turnout and fun to see lots of cousins!

 We missed Caleb (sick), Zara, Claire, Caden, Audrey, Kenzie, and Kylie! 

Baby Alexa was there-- just not in the pic.

The best part about Easter this year was by far the realization that both Sophie and especially Lucas have really begun to grasp what Easter is all about.  Now that Lucas is reading he's taken a liking to reading his Bible on the couch in his room and Sophie will plop down next to him.  He especially enjoys the story of the resurrection and will explain it to you in detail.  I have to also give credit to his Sunday School teachers because much of what he's learning he's learned from them as well.  While the eggs, candy, Easter bunnies, and Easter basket goodies are all fun and exciting, I'm deeply grateful for the knowledge that the kids are gaining about the true reason why we celebrate Easter.