Late at night when your sleepin'........

Yesterday Caleb's face started looking kind of red and splotchy around noon. "Hhhhmm, that is weird. No big deal though.", I thought to myself. By that evening it was worse. Then we discovered that his torso was also covered in this familiar-looking rash and that there was even a visible hand print right on his stomach just the size of his own little hand.

What in the world? How could he have that much poison ivy in January?
Surely it has to be something else.

After some interrogation, I learned that on Wednesday, when he and the neighbor-kid were having a campfire in our backyard fire pit, they decided to tear a few vines off the trees and throw them on the fire. I will admit that they had gotten my permission to build the fire.....I was watching them out the window, they had the hose out just in case, and it entertained them for HOURS. I just missed the whole burning poison ivy thing somehow. Caleb's top half was covered in it and Adam had a patch on his back.

After a good dose of benedryl ( which was a whole 'nother story...you know the Caleb-medicine struggle) the boys went to bed and fell into deep sleep.
Then at about 4am, I heard Caleb at my bedside saying, "Mama, I can't see."
"uh, turn on the light."
"I already did."
Yep, his eyes were little swollen slits at this point. Poor guy.
He really didn't seem too uncomfortable so I put him back to bed and laid awake worrying until morning about what I should do with him. There was no way I could get him to the doctor for some sort of shot on my own, because we had check-ups this week and the boys got flu shots. Caleb had to be held down by four nurses and I was very worried that he was going to injure at least one of them in the process of it all. The kid is 57 lbs of pure muscle and fight when he wants to be. So, anyhow, a shot seemed like an impossibility.

After talking with the doctor and a few more doses of benedryl, the swelling has now subsided and he just looks like a regular kid........ with poison ivy all over his face.

I am finding this is how life works with two sons.

It's always somethin'.



FYI:
Myth: Poison ivy is contagious.
Reality: You can't spread poison ivy by coming into contact with a person who has it, unless that person has urushiol on their skin. You can, however, pick it up by touching a dog that has gotten poison ivy on its fur, or by touching the blade of a weed whacker that you just used to cut down the plants.

**I would also like to add another interesting poison ivy tidbit. I started getting it constantly the summer after I had Caleb (along with other allergies as well). Someone told me to eat a new leaf in the spring because it works something like a vaccine and you won't get it that year.
I did it. I did not get poison ivy for four years straight and have only had a couple of patches since. (I only ate one leaf one time) Put that in your pipe and smoke it.

Making Apple Cider

My friends, Paul and Amy, invited us to Bull Creek Ranch to make apple cider this afternoon so we just had to take them up on it. Bull Creek is one of the greatest places to hang out and the weather was just perfect for making apple cider and...



SWIMMING!

Yep, the boys decided to get in the pond for a little swim. They had a ball jumping off the dock and swimming in that COLD water! Annabelle and I enjoyed watching them from the shore.

The boys were very excited to be a part of the apple juicing process . They helped Amy pick the apples and then used the peeler to get them ready for the press. Paul and Amy were so sweet and let them turn every crank and try every gadget throughout the afternoon.

Annabelle and I ate lots of apples and enjoyed the finished product.

It was the perfect fall day, well, I don't guess swimming in a pond is considered a fall activity..... Unless you are Caleb and Adam!

I have mentioned before that I am afraid having two older brothers will make Annabelle crude. I don't think that she is going to be a tomboy and I am glad that she will always be outside and active like them, but not a crude little girl. yuck.

My fears were confirmed this evening as she continually fake burped and laughed hysterically at herself for 15 minutes straight. Then I even saw her making the armpit-farting motion just as she has seen Adam do so many times before. It may just be inevitable though I will attempt to teach her otherwise (as I do with the boys, just not very well)

So, Mimi, don't bother watching these videos:

I didn't get the part where she was laughing so hard at herself.





She has learned to say her name. Almost. She says "Anna".



You have to admit that it is kinda cute though.





I plan on doing an Easter post as soon as Amie loads the pictures online for me to use. I didn't get many with my camera because Annabelle wouldn't let me put her down during our annual family egg hunt. "Why?" you ask. Because she was scared to death of the







Easter Bunny!






















MORE ON THIS LATER................................

Rainy Day

I can't sleep so I thought I would blog.



My boys like it when they look outside and see rain, because they know if it is warm enough, I will probably let them ride their bikes and play in it. I figured this was a safe activity after the spankings they got for wallering in the mud the last time, so I made it clear not to let that happen again and sent them out today. They were delighted to see Seth pull in the driveway, home early from work, because they knew he would be right there with them in it all. Then the Harrison boys began a mission of collecting worms that surfaced during the downpour. They collected them in their buckets and reported to me later that they had found about a thousand. Annabelle realised they were out there and made it clear to me that she wanted to go out too. I made her a makeshift poncho to go over her coat and sent her out to Seth. She had as much fun as the guys. I have a feeling that Annabelle is never going to be afraid to get down and dirty!




This a pretty pathetic video, but oh well. You can get the idea.





Completely unrelated to that, this is a picture Lorie sent me that Justin took of Annabelle at Christmas. I am not very good at photography so I rely on the skills and sweet cameras of others to capture pictures of my kiddos. She is in the wagon behind granddaddy's tractor in this one.

.
I jumped the gun with yesterday's post. How could I have known what was in store for today? (I should have known) I needed to practice music for the womens retreat so I put Annabelle down for an early nap, gave the boys an umbrella, and set up to sing in the garage. I know you are thinking, "Are you crazy? You sent your boys out in the rain to play!" First of all, I am crazy and second of all, I wasn't thinking too clearly. I thought they needed a good ten minutes or so outside so they could get the wiggles out before we sat down for school. (but their wiggles are never out)
ANYWHO!!!!!!!

This is what I found when I turned the corner to check on them!




It's all good, though. They are happily in the shower as I type, getting cleaner than they have been in a while.

It could be way worse, I tell ya. When they were 2 and 3, they pooped in the middle of Adam's room and smeared it all over the walls and floor. I can never be as mad as I was at them that day!

Most of our outings to the grocery store include a conversation with an older person or couple reminiscing about their younger parenting days. (We are usually causing a commotion) Today, I chatted a little with a couple who have five grown children that live all over the country now....3 boys 2 girls. Of course, they reminded me that these are "the best days of my life and to cherish having all of my kids under my roof." I really want to do that but it can be so hard when Adam is pushing Annabelle in the stroller down the aisles as fast as he can doing wheelies while Caleb is sitting in the buggy and has just busted the 5 lb. bag of sugar all over the place.


Actually, it was a fairly successful Walmart trip today and I wasn't really worn out by the time we got back to the van.


The point is that I am trying to take in all of this time with my kiddos and enjoy them each day. I can somewhat relate to all of these folks' sentiments because I am eight years older than my brother, Jonathan, and I spent a lot of time taking care of him as a baby. Amie helped Moma with the housework and I took care of him. Jonathan was the best baby EVER.... cute, smart, witty. He was wonderful and honestly, sometimes I ache to hold him again as a toddler. I have dreams about him as a baby once in a while (however, lots of times he turns into Caleb somewhere during the course of my dream ..weirdness) When I watch old home movies , I get all teary eyed. He was a delight in our lives!

Are you all really creeped out now? Is Jonathan sufficiently embarrassed now? Back to the point of my story, it helps me to enjoy my babies now because I know that soon enough they will be all grown up like Jonathan and off to college. I will wish we could have a crazy outing to Walmart together.





Ok, you are free to go barf over my mushiness now.

The boys went down to Bear Creek again this past weekend. It was a nice break once again for me, and they had loads of fun down there. I got caught up on laundry, housework, Christmas shopping, and even a bit of sewing and hemming.

As Annabelle and I were pulling out of the driveway to church Sunday morning, I thought, "What the heck is wrong with the van?" Lo and behold, we had a flat tire. So that is how we welcomed Seth home from the long trip. Ready to change a flat tire?




It was a family affair. The kids enjoyed "helping" Dad.

Caleb and Adam are the kings of messing! This is a typical "set-up" when they are playing. That is their fort under the mattress. No wonder I can't get my house under control!

(That is our neighbor, Taylor, with him.)







This is a little video of Annabelle jabbering away. Sorry about the lighting, the power had gone out that afternoon.

What a great dad! Seth and the boys built this fort the other day in our backyard. Seth is such an outdoor man and always has some project going on out back. I swear he splits wood for fun and is always burning something. Caleb and Adam love to be out there with him. Oh yeah, and he LOVES to mulch! This fort has kept the boys quite busy this week. They sit in there and play dirt bikes or shoot their new bows that Aunt Jeanie bought them.







This is the fort they built down at Bear Creek this past weekend:


They also built a huge four wheeler trail through the woods there.






We have been outside as much as possible lately enjoying the weather. Here are a couple of videos of the boys jumping off their swings:
They just think that is the greatest thing ever.

Seth's cousin gave us some clothes for Annabelle the other day and there were these tiny dress-up high heeled shoes in there. She loves them and I can't believe that she can walk in them. It is the cutest thing ever! She brings them to me and then goes to get Caleb so he can lead her around the house in them. She has that guy WRAPPED! The other day I had to give him a little talk about how we need to try not to spoil Annabelle and while it is so sweet that he takes care of her so well, he doesn't have to give her EVERYTHING she wants. If she comes and demands his toy, he can kindly say no and offer her something else. I am very afraid of spoiling her.


This is a video of the shoes. She leads Caleb to the door and thankfully, he knows not to let her out.

Bear Creek is some property in south Georgia where the Harrison family hunts. Fishing, riding bikes and fourwheelers, sleeping campers and tents, being with Walker, building fires...... It is just about as close to "heaven on earth" for the Harrison boys as it gets. Oh yes, not to mention that there is a serious dirtbike track a quarter of a mile down the road. Yep, the boys were in heaven.

We were originally going to drive down early Friday morning, however, Thursday morning Seth convinced me to throw our stuff in bags and head down there for a long weekend get-away. We left the house a mess....and it is still a mess.....OK, I am not going to go all into that. It was great to see Caleb and Adam having so much fun.

We had a really great time. I love being outdoors too. Annabelle had a blast though she is really not in the best stage to do all that. We were able to sleep in Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Carolyn's house which was quite wonderful. I spent a lot of time running after her making sure that she didn't fall into the fire, or into the pond, or get run over by a four wheeler. We got to spend time with Jacob (12) and Katie (8) (Seth's cousin's kids). Adam definitely has a crush on Katie. When she got there on Friday evening, he was really embarrassed that his feet were so dirty so he had me wash them before he could hang out with her. It was too cute. Nana organized a birthday party for him and bought him some more dirt bike toys. He was ecstatic!

Seth and I played some music around the campfire after dark. We really need to work up some new songs that people are familiar with. We actually made a list on the trip home so y'all can expect to be able to sing along next trip!

Seth loves that place too. I think they are going back again this weekend. I plan on staying here and cleaning house.

Oh yeah, about that Widespread Panic show.
-I should have worn a costume.
-It was fun.
-Seth will be going solo from now on. I am sticking to my sweet, mellow, Americana, singer/songwriter folky shows.
-It was a filthy experience.


I had better get to bed. I will write a more upbeat post later.

Goodnight y'all.

RECO Day

Last Saturday was "RECO" day for the boys. RECO is some land in Black Mountain where our friends go to ride dirt bikes and four wheelers . It is complete with jumps and trails through the mountains. As you can imagine, Caleb and Adam were in heaven. They got up at the crack of dawn and came into my room completely dressed and ready to go. Seth took them and I spent the day with Annabelle. It was wonderful! Since I was not there, I cannot give any specifics, but Seth said it was the easiest babysitting he has ever done. He spent the day sitting in a chair in the back of a truck watching the boys ride. That afternoon, one of their major heroes, Daniel (my cousin) showed up to ride with them. It can't get much better than a day like that for Caleb and Adam.

They usually end the day with a huge bonfire, however the burning ban prevented that from happening.



This is Caleb and Adam taking a break with Mr. Dana. Check out his sweet jeep behind them.







By the way, Adam's birthday is this coming Sunday and he informed me that (for the third year in a row) he wants a dirtbike cake.......with trick candles.

The boys have changed their minds on what their future occupation will be. They now want to be "tree cutters" when they grow up rather than dirt bike riders. We had some trees taken down in our yard this morning and Caleb and Adam had a blast watching them climb up in the trees and take out all the limbs before they cut the rest down. It was quite entertaining and I found myself out there with them instead of getting some housework done inside. Here is a video of our friend Chris topping the tree:



Chris said that he is used to having an audience, but people rarely take pictures and videos of his work. He probably thinks I am really weird.

Here are the boys watching from the wall in the side yard. I had Annabelle in our fantastic new backpack that my friend Ami let me borrow. I might have to put up a picture of it later so you can see how great it is. Annabelle was crawling up out of the other one (she could wiggle out of the straps) and this one keeps her in better. Anyways, Annabelle enjoyed the action as well. Later Seth worked up a little rope-climbing action for the boys to play around on. It was a fun day. Now we are off to Pigeon Forge with Grandaddy and Mimi for a visit to Dollywood tomorrow. More later.......