all better....

.....the teanuts are all better!.....praise, praise!

you all know me well enough now to know that of course i took my camera to the hospital.....i mean, as if :) i did restrain myself and only take pics in our little room with our little family and our little patient.....and i must brag on my little patient for a moment ~ he did great!! he was NPO (no food by mouth) after midnight but could, luckily, have clear liquids up until 10am....he only asked once at home for his *gits & eggs* and once at the hospital for a snack.....whew, that could have been a lot worse.....

he had a *bag of tricks* to occupy his time but we really didn't need them too terribly much.....by the time we got in the pre-op room things got rolling fairly quickly.....we met lots of nurses, CRNAs & anesthesiologists that were taking great care of us......after a quick wardrobe change, he got the good stuff.....

..... versed!!!!.....this is my baby on drugs.....silly boy!

i mean, just look at those thighs up there.....god love 'em!! below is him after the giggles wore off and the floppy head, relaxing set in....

honestly, they took him to surgery ~ with blankie & monkey of course!....i went down stairs to get us lunch, brought it back up.....ate our lunch, played on my phone a few minutes......and then he was back......awesome!! dr. mac came in and talked to us shortly before grant got back.....he only had a hernia on one side & it was very small & easy to fix....we even have pics of his insides, but i spared you all ~ this time :) oh, by the way.....brett says that our next date night will be the children's hospital cafeteria.....he LOVED the *blazing spicy chicken sandwich*.....it was really good, but i will opt for GianMarco's :)

here is our sweet angel boy finally resting once he got back to us from recovery......i say finally because he was a bit ill when he first got in the room.....there was no easing into waking up for him.....when they rolled him in the room he was already trying to sit up & he wanted EVERYTHING off of him!.....within a matter of 10 minutes he managed to *not so nicely* convince the nurse to take out his IV, off his blood pressure cuff & pulse ox.....he also got off his arm band & gown.....whew!! it was a whirlwind.....he also wanted the steri-strip off his belly button but we put our foot down there :) once he was stripped down he finally settled himself into slumberland for a few moments....ahhhhh....

he woke up so much better after his little nap.......we got him dressed and headed home!

daddy went to get the car and he went on a red wagon ride......the hospital is already decorated for christmas so he was in awe of all the pretty ornaments & decorations.....as we were headed out he said, "look tiger, ROAR!".....and i even got a smile.....

as i type this today he is just vegging out in front of the TV, watching a little *baby crack* & is quite content......he is a little sore, but doing great! this morning when he asked for his *gits & eggs* i happily obliged.....

we really appreciate all the thoughts, prayers & well wishes you guys poured upon us....thank you so much!!! YOU GUYS ROCK!

the teanut takeover....

....tomorrow is the takeover of the teanuts....hopefully you remember the story of the teanuts from here.....well it's time to get 'em fixed up....

grant is pretty much oblivious to the fact.....i mean really, how would you even begin to explain this to a two year old?!? i told him this afternoon that we were going to see dr. mac tomorrow....he said, "no, don't want to." ....so matter of fact.....at that point i dropped it.....why try?? i am choosing to keep him in the dark.....it will all be over so *quickly* and he won't remember a thing....

then after a day or so of rest, he can go back to reading his toys-r-us sales paper and savoring all the fun toys....

as i type this audrey is in her room making a surprise for him......precious....she picked out a monster truck for him this afternoon to give him as well.....she is so giving and caring.....we are making this as low key for her as we are him too.....because realistically in the big scheme of things his procedure is minor and really is so common & routine for the doctors, nurses & staff at children's.....and i am quite thankful they are so good at what they do and that we are blessed to live so close.....he will be bounced back sooner than me.....i'm sure of it :)

now.....the only not minor, not routine or not common aspect of this scenario is the fact that it is my son and he is the patient and i am not the nurse but the mommy.....ode to role reversal....as i have said before....i know too much.....but i also know that He will be with us tomorrow ~ keeping us safe & calm....

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself." Matthew 6:34

old school....

.....this weekend was an old school weekend.....relaxing, playing inside & out, spending time with family and friends & church....these weekends are few and far between so we thoroughly enjoy them when they come along....

another *old school* moment from this weekend was audrey playing barbies.....old school you say?!?! yes.....they were my barbies! and she is quite content with them......as long as she is content, i am too! i love watching her play with them......it brings back some good ol' memories....

leaves & such....

a few days ago audrey decided we needed to go on a leaf hunt.....she has been admiring the beautiful trees, as we all have, and wanted a few leaves of her own....

fall is probably my favorite time of the year......vibrant colors, beautiful weather, football, birthdays, thanksgiving & lots of chances to spend time with family and friends.....i hope everyone has been enjoying this beautiful weekend.....i know we are!....bask in the beauty of the day......head out huntin' leaves....

josie's farm....

....today was audrey's first big field trip....fun at the farm!

after the initial animal fear.....tears, being upset & talking through it.....she warmed right up to the animals.....i think positive peer pressure is a good thing :)

the farm was really interesting.....they had, obviously, the barns and animals but also the original homestead, a water pump, outhouse, smokehouse, general store, school house/church and play area with hayride....

sweet friends!!!

they ended the day with a picnic lunch......it was a fun, educational field trip!!

lady lancers....

....and so it begins....lady lancer basketball.....yesterday was the first game....we all dressed in our red, white & blue and headed over to cheer on the lancers...

basketball games are going to be a bit more of a challenge for me than the football games....
bleachers & indoor activity + two year old boy = troublesome situation
.....i think my kids ate their way through the two basketball games.....when they weren't eating snacks they were sprawling out with the bag of goodies i brought from home.....

we resorted to candy too!.....

overall it really wasn't a bad experience.....grant was definitely *over it* by the time we were leaving......but i really couldn't have asked for better.....as for brett, he could have asked for a little better.....realistically though, for a first game, the girls did great.....they didn't get the win but that's ok......many more games to redeem themselves...

Way to Go Lady Lancers!!!

the recent happenings of.....

...sissy & porkchop

sissy update.....my daughter read me two books last night.....my daughter READ to me!!! it was a precious, beautiful sound.....

porkchop update....one week from today we will be at children's hospital......grant will undergo surgery to fix his hernia.....poor kid has no idea....at least he is young enough that he won't remember anything and he will be back to himself in a few short days...

those are the recent happenings in our family......the above pictures were taken today on our lazy, no school-no work day.....grant has some serious bed head going on :)

................................................................

Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup with Italian Grilled Cheese

Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup with Italian Grilled Cheese

Soup

1 pkg. (9oz) Refrigerated 3 Cheese Tortellini
2 boxes Campbell’s Select Creamy Tomato Bisque
2 boxes Campbell’s Select Italian Tomato Soup
1 tbsp fresh chopped basil
Shredded Parmesan cheese
- Combine 1st 4 ingredients and bring to a boil over medium heat, then simmer 10 -20 mins.
- Ladle into bowls, top with parmesan cheese

Sandwich

1 loaf good fresh Italian Bread
Pesto
Sliced Mozzarella
Sundried or Sliced Tomatoes (your preference)
- Layer - bread, slice cheese, spread of pesto, tomato, slice of cheese, bread
- Brush top of bread with olive oil and place into a heated grill pan or skillet & cook, top other side with olive oil and flip.
- this could be done in a panini press

Enjoy!! Bon Appetit!