Not so fast Buckaroo!

Ryan thinks he is being sneaky trying to crawl, but I am on to him. Anytime he gets onto all fours - I sit him back down and scoot his toys closer to him. Ha! Now who's the clever one?!

When all hell breaks loose.

I have had strep twice in 2 weeks so I am figuring one of the rotten boys has been passing it to me. So off we go to the Doctor to test Luke and Colby. First of all, to get the strep test done on Colby is DRAMA. He fights them when they try to get the swab down his throat all the while making these horrible gagging noises.
The tests come back positive for Colby and negative for Luke, but they think it was a testing error because looking at his throat there is no question that Luke is positive as well.
The boys are great at taking pills, but trying to remember taking 2 pills a day for 10 days leaves a lot of room for error so I ask for shots for them both. Colby puts his head down in his lap and starts to bawl and bawl. Big alligator tears are just a running down his face.
When the nurse comes back in with the shots is where things get crazy and slightly out of control.
I am holding Ryan with my good arm. Colby is sobbing in a ball over in the corner. Luke volunteers to go first to show Colby how easy it is. I should interject here what a CHAMP Luke is! He hops up on that table pulls his pants slightly down over his butt and lays there smiling while the nurse gives him his shot all the while telling Colby "Look how easy it is! It doesn't hurt at all! Look I am just lying here. See? So easy!" Colby is not convinced one bit!
He refuses to get up on the table. The nurse and Luke have to "help" him up. Then he grips his pant buckle so the nurse cannot get them un-done to lower them. Luke has to hold his hands down. I am still holding Ryan with my only good arm and am trying to stand by him and talk "reassuringly". His body is so rigid and his little buttocks are so tight that when the nurse shoots that needle into him he lets out a scream that could be heard for miles. It startles Ryan so he starts to cry. Luke is holding Colby's hand and telling him "Squeeze my hand, buddy. You are doing so good! Almost done." - all the while Colby is yelling at the top of his lungs.
When the nurse is finished Colby flings his body to the ground and starts flopping around holding onto his butt, with his "bad leg" flopping all over like a dead fish. If ever any of you have seen Bandits, the movie, remember the scene where Billy Bob Thornton's character thinks he smells burning feathers (he thinks he has s tumor) and is flopping around the floor like he is having a seizure on half of his body - this was a dead on reenactment. Lots of flopping. Colby then drags himself to a chair and with his arms pulls himself up to lean over it. The nurse and I are not quite sure what to do for him so we stand there "trying" to help while not giggling out loud.
I ask him to button up his pants so we can get going. As we leave the Doctor's office he is dragging his dead leg slowly behind him and moaning.
Talk about theatrics. It was all very sad and amusing at the same time.

A promised trip to the arcade, $5 cash, and a box of ice cream and we are home in front of a movie, safe and sound and medicated. Phew.

Ryan, the sweet pea, thought it was all too much excitement and when straight down for a nap after we got home.

Mom Norman

Colby went to the Post Office on Wednesday with his school class. This showed up in the mail today.

Addressed to "Mom Norman"



Dear Mom,

I love you because you give me stuff. And you are nice. And you are awesome. And you are cool. And you are funny. I like you. And you are great. And you are spectacular. And you are smart and you are beautiful.

from: Colby

Rock on little buddy.

Well, another successful semester of Colby's dance class has ended. What will he do all summer without his break dance class? Click here to view his latest awesome dance moves (I said that with almost a straight face).



A rag tag bunch of dancers. Funny "tough" kids.

We go together like...

Peas and carrots -- peaches and cream -- cinnamon bears and chocolate -- bees and honey


Do you know what DOES NOT go together?

A broken wrist and a 7 month old baby. No sirree.
All I can say is lame-o. I have this hard splint for two weeks then I go back in for more x-rays to determine if this splint is doing the job or if a cast is needed. Either way it is splint or cast until the end of May.

I was getting the car seat out of the car and put my hand down in a funny position with just enough pressure to hurt some goofy little bone right beneath my thumb inside my wrist.


p.s. typing one handed takes FOREVER

A little bit of nothing.

Just a few random pictures from the past few weeks.


We are driving in the car today and I look down and just start to giggle. This is my big strong husband next to my almost 12 year old son that apparently has the arms of a 2 year old. I love my skinny little Lukie.

We have quite the fascination with our big brothers' hats. If only I could figure out how to grab it.

We spent the afternoon at Trafalga the other day. We played miniature golf, we practiced at the batting cages, we cried over the frustration of the batting cages, we watched a 3D movie, we ate ice cream and we rode go-karts. I tell you what - the legal age limit for Luke to drive will not be until that kid has moved out of my house and off of my insurance. Talk about a maniacal speed demon. Brake pedal? What is that for?

They even let Colby drive. He had to stretch to reach the gas or brake and could barely see over the dash. Good thing the track was lined with rubber tires that you just bounce right off of every time you get a little loose on the turns.

I love the warm weather because it means my sweet little boys sleep in their undies. I just love my little naked nudies.

My Little Jack Rabbit!

It is the time of year for the Hershey Track Meet again. It is always a fun day for the kids - out of school in the sun hanging out with their friends. Colby has been to all of Luke's years of racing and couldn't very well miss this one. He begged me to let him go watch Luke race, so Colby played hookie and he, Ryan and I went to watch.

A little pre-race jitters from the younger brother. I can hardly get a normal pose out of this kid so we just go with it.




Luke was competing in the 800M, 400M and the standing long jump.

The first race of the day was the 800M. His biggest competition were his buddies from soccer. In reality the soccer players pretty much dominated the whole day - with all the year round conditioning they do they are little running machines.
They combined all the boys to run the 800M in one heat (about 15+ boys). His good friend Brendan (the fastest kid on the soccer team) was racing with him and he (Brendan) jumped out of the gate in first and set a pretty grueling sprint of a pace. Luke held on to his tail bouncing back and forth from 2nd to 3rd with another boy named Tagger just behind Brendan. By the beginning of the second lap Brendan couldn't hold the pace he started so Luke managed to push ahead of him into first and hold that position . With 200M to go Tagger was right behind Luke pushing on his heels and Luke had to give everything he had and then some to sprint to the finish line in 1st place by 4 mili-seconds!! (followed by Tagger in 2nd and Brendan in 3rd)
He about collapsed at the end and had to walk it off and find a place to sit down. That race near about burst his lungs. The lame thing was that they had the 400M run right after he finished this race and there was no way he was going to race that quickly so he bagged the 400M.


Brendan in the lead, followed by Luke in the red and Tagger in 3rd. Coming around the last 100M of the first lap.

Luke on the straightway of his first lap.

Luke followed by Tagger sprinting to the finish line.

This little cutie was trying to sneak in his morning nap but kept getting interrupted by his noisy Mom who was cheering her heart out. His little head was just a bobb'n up and down as he dosed.

Luke's biggest fan!

For the love! Would someone please give this boy a nap! So so sad.

In the car and all of 2 seconds after being buckled in.

Luke also jumped the standing long jump and was told by the volunteers that he unofficially took 1st place!!! Officially - we will know more once they compare all the jumps, but by their first look-over that was what he was informed.

My favorite!

I have begged, borrowed and stolen (well, to steal is a relative term - one could argue that it was not stolen but merely borrowed) many of the baby necessities for my sweet little caboose, but there have been a few things that over a lengthy debate I have broken down and purchased. It is a toss up between his stationary jumper and his high chair as to which is my favorite. He LOVES his jumper, but I LOVE his high chair. It rolls, it swivels, it goes up and down, it cleans up lickety split, it is funky looking and best of all - it holds him and all his mess right in one spot!


His favorite thing in the world are biter biscuits. I am not sure which genius came up with the recipe, but I cannot think of a more messy food - it must have been a man. Biter biscuit = bath. If it didn't make him so happy and keep his busy for such a long period of time I don't know if I would bother with the stupid things.

Example A:


There is no Example B. Example A should be enough.




Lola, I should mention, also loves his high chair. She sits right next to him waiting for the food that he drops over to her and laughs while she gobbles up. We also catch him sticking his hand out for her to lick clean. He giggles and giggles.

Funnel Cakes

We had some friends over tonight for funnel cakes and a good game of Battle of the Sexes. The dads and sons against the moms and daughters. The girls totally kicked butt, we won't linger on those details. Anywho - we made some funnel cakes then decorated and devoured them. Fried dough, sugary toppings - can we say yum?
(This is not one of ours, they were eaten too quickly to snap a photo - but you get the idea)


Here is the recipe if you are looking for a great family activity.

In a large bowl -
Sift:
1 1/3 cup flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

In a smaller bowl -
Whisk until pale:
1 egg
2 T. granulated sugar
Whisk into egg mixture:
1 cup milk

Whisk egg mixture into flour mixture until smooth.
Batter should be about the consistency of pancake/waffle batter - pourable.

Heat about 2" inches of canola oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet or pot.
Using a funnel, pour about 1/2 cup into funnel with your finger plugging the spout. Holding the funnel over the hot oil drop/pour the batter in a spiral pattern. Cook for 30 seconds while dough floats to top of oil and underside is golden, using tongs flip cake over and cook for 20-30 seconds more. Pull out of oil and decorate.

Toppings: Hot fudge, chocolate syrup, fruit (fresh or canned), caramel, whip cream, powdered sugar, cinn/sugar, crumbled brownie, etc.


Yummy and surprisingly easy!!

Some more ramblings by Colby

I like to sled. I like the beach a lot and a lot and a lot. I like my seat in school. A seed can make a plant. I like a nest in trees. I have dreams at night. I like sunny places.

I like funny stuff like jokes. I have tiny ant in my house. I will do my very best!!! I like to say stuff. Are (our) teacher says be quiet. I love my family.

Seriously random. I love the way he wrote his name all swirly. He must sit by a girl. He also writes his name Colby-X. He has gone by Colby-X for some time, but for the life of me I cannot remember where or why it started.

Man I love this kid.

Tyrus Raymond - The Georgia Peach

Luke just participated in his 5th grade Wax Museum this last week. It is a big project that they have been working towards for the last couple of months. They pick a character, do research on their character and then come up with a costume for their wax figure. Luke's character was Ty Cobb. Thank goodness for Aunt Annie is all I can say. The costume was complements of her handiwork.

The Wax Museum was darling and full of amazing costumes and kids! You could walk around to see all the "wax figures". They each held a pose until their "button" was pushed, then they would come to life and speak a 30 second blurp about their character. Very cute.