Feeling Better, Looking Worse!

Thanks for all of your prayers! Conner is feeling so much better today! The doctor did warn us that the rash would get worse before it got better and the spots did grow overnight.  However, he is running around and playing today so that is a vast improvement from yesterday!

Overall, the rash really isn't a huge concern (well except from all the crazy stares!).  It's just the fact that he hasn't been sick in over 9 months but in the past 30 days we've been to the doctor 6 times and his blood work is all over the charts.

Anyway, thanks for all the emails and texts you've sent checking on him!

The Conner Chronicles: Part II

Since my last post about Conner he was healthy and happy for about a week - yea! That however was short-lived because exactly a week later, which was this past Monday, he began to run fever again.  We were at the doctor first thing Tuesday morning.  The doctor found ulcers and sores in his mouth and diagnosed him with stomatitis, which is a viral infection.  However is blood work came back dangerously high and indicative of a bacterial infection.  Then he did a strep test, which came back negative.  They also gave him a shot rocephin.  Up until yesterday when all this took placed he LOVED the doctor, but now he is discovering no amount of suckers is worth all of this.

He came home and immediately went to bed and then woke up with a rash, which has progressively gotten worse since then.  We had to go back this morning for a repeat blood test anyway.  I assumed the rash was a reaction to the shot but the doctor doesn't seem to think so but we aren't really sure why he has it.  He cannot wear his shoes and it hurts to walk or to be carried.  His white blood cell count came down a little but is still more than twice the normal limit and the rest of the blood work is being sent away and we won't know anything until probably Monday.  I will say that catching urine in a cup from a not quite potty-trained little boy is VERY HARD!!  Thankfully that test, whatever it was for, came back good!

So for now we are waiting for the test results and we will not go back to the doctor unless his rash isn't better in one week or until he starts to leak puss out of eyes - nice, I know, - or until another mystery illness comes our way.

Here are some pictures of my precious little one from this afternoon and I know he has a pacifier and I know we got rid of it but really that's the least I can do is give it back when he cries for it after all he's been through!

Isaiah 40:28-31

DO YOU NOT KNOW? HAVE YOU NOT HEARD? The Lord is the EVERLASTING GOD, the CREATOR of the ends of the earth.  He WILL NOT grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.  He GIVES STREGTH to the weary and increses the power of the weak.  Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those WHO HOPE in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they WILL WALK and not be faint.

Under the Big Top!

Ryan's grandfather was a Shriner and he has fond memories of the El Karubah Shrine Circus and has always wanted us to go to the circus and today we FINALLY went! Ryan got to tell the boys how he used to ride in the little Shriner's cars with his grandpa.  I do believe my biggest boy was more excited than my two little ones!!

While we were getting ready, the boys were playing upstairs and Mason called down that I would want to get my camera and come take their picture and when I yelled back up "of what?" he responded of them being sweet . . . thankfully I grabbed the camera and this is what I found all snuggled up in Conner's closet . . .

The boys during intermission, which lasted extremely too long!! And poor Conner's chair wouldn't stay down unless I had my foot/hand/knee on it, which is why he looks a little compact in this picture!

They each got to get two things - Mason picked cotton candy and a sno-cone in a light up cup and Conner picked a Coke and a sword.  Here is Mason, filled with regret, over his decision! (Loving the shirts Holly made!) 

Me and the sweet boys!

Overall, the circus was really fun! Long but fun! 

We headed to Chick-fil-a afterward along with the rest of Shreveport and I was the only parent in the playroom with about 18 kids - seriously parents, SIT WITH YOUR KIDS IN THE PLAYROOM!!! Your kids may be the nicest most well behaved kids on the block but 20 kids in that small room is just a recipe for disaster!  So if you have a little girl with brown pigtails and she mentions a strange lady air-kissing a bump on her because some randon little boy kicked her in the head you can go ahead and thank me for that since you were busy eating/talking!

Morning Play Date

It seems as though lately the only place Conner gets to go is the doctor and the pharmacy but since he was feeling better today we met Holly and Bailey and some of their friends at Kid City!  Neither Conner nor Bailey had been before and they were both a little unsure but I think it was fun anyway!

Holly and I got some exercise since we had to climb in a few times!  I also picked up my fabulous fall shirt that Holly made for Conner (I had already gotten Mason's).  You can check out the shirt here!

Of course for us no visit to Shreveport is complete without a stop at McDonald's for fries and a Sprite for Conner!  He wanted to call my Dad aka Pop (or Papa if you ask Mason) and we ended up picking him up some lunch.  Dad was working on the bulldozer and after a drive down a very bumpy road we found him and gave him his lunch.  Conner was very UPSET that he had to go home with terrible ol' me and not "work with Pop."

Despite that it was a fun morning play date with Conner!!

And thanks to Holly for picking up my stuff at Reruns are Fun! I made a profit of $51.00!! Yea!

The Conner Chronicles

My poor sweet little Conner hasn't been feeling too well lately but hopefully things are turning around for him!

This summer he would randomly wake up with a fever with no other symptoms and sometimes the fever would be gone in a few hours but other times it would last several days.  We never went to the doctor because I hate the doctor! It seems like every time we go they always say its just a viral infection and to treat the symptoms and give Motrin and Tylenol.  A few weeks ago, however, I had enough and took him in to see what was going on.

He had enlarged lymph nodes and a fever plus his blood tests came back with a low white blood cell count and low platelet count.  We were told to keep a "fever diary" and to come back in two weeks for another blood test or sooner if his lymph nodes grew larger.  It was a really nerve-wracking two weeks.  But at our check up all went fine and his counts were back to normal!

Then two days later we were back! This time he did a series of tests and his blood work came back too high so we left with antibiotics and instructions to come in if things worsened or didn't get better.

And of course, we were back on Monday!  This time with a double ear infection and more antibiotics.  Some of his tests from the week before took a while to process and I had not heard the results yet.  We did get the results and if I understand correctly they weren't necessarily bad but not really good either so when he gets healthy we will have to go back and redo that test.

He has been so sad because he has missed "school" and church and lots of other fun stuff!  I am not really writing all this for your sympathy but just to say that I promise if we've missed something, say all summer, "because Conner isn't feeling good" then I want you to know we were telling the truth!!  For instance, he acts fine most days and someone at church told me and Mason that they hoped Conner felt better and Mason looked at them like they were crazy and said "Baby is not sick!" but really he has been.

And if you have a few spare seconds say a prayer for Conner! He has been such a super trooper.  He has had his finger pricked and blood taken out of his arm and been looked at and poked at and he hasn't ever cried at the doctor yet.  He is hanging in there strong!

Airport Fly-In

Mason & I got up early this morning and headed to the airport in Mansfield for a "fly-in." I'm really not exactly sure what that is but we had fun for the short time we were there!

The main attraction for Mason were the hot air balloons! He wanted to go on an actual ride but I just couldn't spend $400 for both of us to ride one so he settled for a tethered hot air balloon "lift-off."  It was neat but very hot, as they kept having to use the flames to get us to go up!



And just a note - there is not easy way in or out of the balloons - so I think it's possible I grabbed the man in navy & khaki in the buttocks region! Oops!!!

After our short ride we checked out some of the old planes and watched tons of small planes take off, land, and taxi around.  Mason enjoyed that.  On our way out we stopped by the Christian Motorcycle Association table to get some FREE water and snacks and visit with a lady from our church.

Next stop was to go to church to set up for our first Sunday in our new Sunday School rooms! Love them - they are so fabulous so if you aren't busy at 9:45 tomorrow . . . you know where I'll be!

It was a fun Mommy & Mason morning! Ryan & Conner had planned a Daddy Day together but since my little C has woken up with fever for the 4th day in a row I think that is going to be postponed!

Cutting the Apron Strings

You know how most parents really look forward to their children's milestones? Well not me - I hate them! To me that just means I am one step closer to losing my babies to sports or girls or college or marriage and all those things that replace the mommy's of little boys!  In order to prevent this I baby and coddle my children and try to do everything for them! Well then preschool comes along and tries (and succeeds) in teaching him independence and all the sudden he doesn't need me quite as much as before.

Which leads me to yesterday -- his first playdate from school where I just dropped him off! Even Conner cried - "my EE with me, my EE with me."  The family was going out to eat and I told Mason that I would come get him if he didn't want to eat but that he was welcome to go if he was having fun . . . to which he replied that he wasn't scared to go and he wanted to go and he wanted to do things alone without me . . . but don't worry mommy because he still loves me! Talk about break my heart!!

The playdate was successful and he had a wonderful time and I am very proud of him in a bittersweet sort of way.  Ryan asked him if H was his best friend and his answer was music to my ears '' "no, Mommy is still my best friend!"  I'll savor that for however much longer it lasts . . .

Conner: Version 2.5

My sweet little one turned 2 1/2 years old on Sunday! Time has flown by! He is LOVING "school" and asks everyday if he goes to school, his vocabulary has quadrupled since his 2nd birthday, and he is just a great, goofy kid!

Sunday was a little hectic because I had left Dallas at 4 a.m. that morning, came home showered and went to church, went to my mom's to eat, then home to make cupcakes with Mason for Conner, and then eventually I got a little 30 minute nap! As has been par for course with Conner he didn't feel good!  So all that should explain the mess on the floor and the fact that he is still in his PJ top at supper!

HAPPY 2.5 BIRTHDAY CONNER!

Mason to the rescue when he needed a little help
 blowing out his candles!

Let's hope Conner wished for good health because we are tired of the doctor's office!

Semi-Annual Girl's Weekend

This past weekend was my semi-annual college girls weekend in Dallas (we were in Benton in or around March).  Holly D and I left early Friday afternoon to meet up with Holly W and we they got started right away on crafty ideas for the weekend! The Holly's were going to sew and Kandy and Lauren were making wreaths.  I was going to be so crafty and put pictures in photo albums! Missy couldn't make it this time but we certainly missed her but baby Callen took her place this time! He was so sweet and we hardly even noticed he was there!

I always post pictures of us in our PJ's because we are pretty lame and predictable so here is one group shot minus me and Missy and then here is a few shots from college just to remind us that possibly we weren't even cool back then either!

Love you girls!

Lauren, Holly D, Holly W, and Kandy getting crafty

Kandy doing I'm not sure what, Holly & Lauren doing hair?, and Holly & Jonathan our fabulous hosts for the weekend

Mindy, Holly, Lauren, & Kandy all cowgirled up,
Amber, Mindy, Melanie, Cori, Missy, & Holly D,
 Missy, Holly D, and Kandy

Kandy, Lauren, Mindy, Holly W, and Missy super cool
posing for pics in the bathroom stall!



Might as Well Buy me a Minivan!

If I wasn't before then I am now a MOM! Last night I attended my first PTA meeting and this morning I volunteered in Mason's class!

Volunteering was fun! My table was the color, cut, and glue table and it was easy enough for me to do! We made sun puppets and I enjoyed interacting with his friends and classmates and learning more about them.

I am looking forward to going back next week and helping!

Softball Season Party

Our softball end of season party was today at our house! We had a really great time!

I will be the first to admit that our team was not that good.  The only games we won were the three games the other teams didn't show up to play! But we had a WONDERFUL time playing together.  Yes, we would have like to have won one or two or maybe even all of them but that didn't happen and there is always next year.

Almost everyone made it out today and we certainly missed Carlton, Larry, and Jason who weren't able to make it.  The weather was good and the we stayed cool under the shade tree.  It was definitely a country party, as my dad brought a mole to the party and we watched it dig in our sandbox.  Conner DID NOT like the mole being in his sandbox!!  The boys and Charlene enjoyed a game of horseshoes and some of the youth/young adults rode 4-wheelers and got stuck in the mud (note to self: when a pond has been drained it is very muddy!).

Can't wait until next season!

Aubrey, showing her drill skills

Not the best picture of Mason, but I wanted to show some of our tractor arsenal off! By no means is that all of them1

Josh, carrying his triple burger, with Mrs. Margaret, Mom, and Amy in the background

My sweet dirty Conner

Kyle hiding out in the playhouse

Mom & Amy

Dad & Ryan

Mr. Troy, Erica, & Charlene

Rob & Josh

Just Another Saturday

with the Brown boys! They were making a dam . . . which was followed by a hose down and a morning bath. It's lunchtime and between the two of them they are on their 5th outfit! Gosh, I LOVE THEM!

Conner Goes to School!

My sweet little Conner has been pleading to go to school almost daily and Thursday he got to go! I had signed him up at several different churches in July and we were on the waiting list at all them for their Mom's Day Out program.

Monday the one I'd hoped for called and Tuesday we were at Open House and Thursday we were there! He was SO EXCITED! Of course we needed some pictures before school - excuse the mess - it's been hectic around here!

You can't tell it but Mason was very happy for Conner!

Encouraging him to get dressed and eat breakfast

and telling him what fun school is!

We headed to Shreveport after we dropped Mason off and still had about 45 minutes before school started. Conner did not understand why we were at Wal-mart and not school! But he went potty at Wal-mart which is a big YEA! He is getting so big!

We still had a few minutes so I took some really cute pictures of Conner at his "big school." I wish I could say that photographic genius struck and I posed this picture but actually I was trying to get him to smile at me and all he wanted to do was watch the lawnmowers. I think it turned out PERFECT however!

All grown up and ready for college . . . oops, I mean Mom's Day Out!

He was the first one in his room and I thought that might bring on some anxiety . . . I was sadly wrong! He went right to playing like he'd been there every day of his life.

So dropping off went smoothly but now what to do with myself??? I really had no idea how I'd fill 5 hours but somehow I managed! First stop Target since I had $15 in gift cards/coupons and I was excited to find all the essentials for Mason's Halloween costume for $16, as opposed to having to order it for over $60! My crafty friend Holly is going to help make his cloak so that he can be a knight in shiny armour. Last year I bought Conner's Halloween costume on Halloween so for it to be September 3 and I already have stuff is nothing short of a miracle! I am so thankful for this opportunity!

The rest of the day was filled with haircuts and errands and barely time for lunch before I needed to pick up Conner. He had a great day and can't wait to go back next Thursday! As we set in the car pick up line for Mason he fell asleep which is rare for him and a sure sign of a fun day at play!