Dr.s, and Nurses, and Copays...Oh My!

(*This post may be TMI for some...feel free to skip it. It is my way of venting!)

Do you ever feel like you live at your pediatrician's office? I know I do. I was looking at our checkbook the other day and almost every week, we have a copay being paid to our Dr.

I took Jackson to the Dr. for the walk-in clinic on Monday. (Here is where it gets TMI!) He has had diarreah for a month and a diaper rash that looks like bed sores and blisters. We have already been to the Dr. 2 times and tried every cream under the sun. We got lucky and our Dr. was there and we agreed to take home some vials and do some stool samples that day. That was the hardest thing ever. Changing Jackson's diaper has been a fight because he is in so much pain, but trying to get a stool sample while he is fighting (because you can't use wipes to get it off....Ugh!) We hopefully will hear something from that today. I am praying they can give him some meds and that will take care of it. If the tests come back negative, then we will be going back our G.I. Doctor to run more tests.

Then yesterday, I picked Hudson up from school....and his eyes were all gunked up. I debated on whether to take him in or not , I decided to bite the bullet and take him-so off to the Tuesday late clinic we went. (2 copays in 2 days people!) I'm so glad we went. He does have a cold but his chest and ears were clear but the eyes were conjunctivitis. YUCK! They gave us an antibiotic for his eyes and we were told to watch him for a few days. When we got home last night, his little eyes were swollen shut. Bless his heart, no wonder he has been a little cranky lately.

Working a full time job and taking care of 2 sick boys....I am beyond exhausted. Being a Mommy is hard!

She Got Hitched!

I am finally able to update about my sister's wedding. Yesterday, we were visiting with family that was in town from Texas and then we came home and crashed. (Last night, we rented a movie from Red Box and 5 minutes into, Jason and I both were asleep. Guess we will have to try to watch it again another time.)

Shawn and Darris got married at Hillwood at Davies Plantation. It was such a neat place to have a wedding. Shawn's theme was "country chic" and I think it couldn't have been more perfect for her personality. (Can you see the moss covered "W" in the picture on the mantle? My mom and dad made that...I think that was one of my favorite things they did for the wedding.)

The food was DELICIOUS! Going with the theme, Shawn wanted some good-ole home cooking. She had Fried chicken and pulled pork, crawfish dressing, macaroni & cheese, a mashed potato bar with all the fixins, fried green tomatoes, corn pudding, green bean bundles, deviled eggs, and rolls.

For wedding cake, we had Muddy's cupcakes! YUM! There were about 7 different flavors the guests could choose from. For a going away happy, Shawn and I piped a "W" on moonpies with icing and wrapped them up in cute little bags (there was even RC cola to drink with them).

The bridesmaid dresses were perfect. They looked great on any body type. Isn't Shawn's dress beautiful? It reminds me of "Sweet Home Alabama". She even wore cowboy boots.

Jackson was the ring"barrow" and couldn't have done a better job! He was such a ham. He behaved and walked down the aisle like a pro and even posed for all the pictures. I was such a proud Momma.

To say Shawn's wedding is one people won't forget is spot on. Saturday was what should have been called the storm of the century. Bless her heart, she was so nervous while we were all getting our hair done. (I would have been to...not fun to have hail, severe thunderstorms and tornado warnings on the day of your wedding.) However everything cleared up beautifully right before we took pictures. Everything went off without a hitch until 20 minutes before the ceremony...and then the power went out! We were so glad that there were candles on each table, cause that was the only light. They went ahead and did the ceremony you just couldn't see them very well. We ate dinner in the dark and the blue-grass band played without their amps. 1.5 hours later they power came back on...

...and Jackson danced like a maniac! Are you seeing the proof on Jackson's shirt and pants that he had a chocolate cupcake? He is SO messy!

Even after all the crazy events of the day, they are still married! They are driving to Arizona...yes, driving. I told her they will learn alot about each other by being stuck in a car together for that long. Ha!

I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for them. I love you Shawn and Darris!

Fig

Tomorrow, my parents are officially empty nesters. My sister, Shawn, is getting married!

Fig,

How are we old enough to be married? I remember us being little girls like it was yesterday (when we got along and when we didn't, ha!): playing Barbie, dress-up, how even at a young age you could accessorize with the best of them. As we have gotten older, I have grown to cherish your friendship more than you will ever know. And tomorrow, you are going to be a beautiful bride. I am so excited for you and Darris. I couldn't have hand picked a better guy for you-you have had to kiss some frogs, but he was worth it!

I can't wait to see what the Lord has planned for you guys. Life is about to get exciting!

I love ya'll!

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

5 Months Old

Happy 5 month birthday Hudson! You have changed SO much this month. Here is a little bit of what you are doing!

*You have lots of nicknames: PaaPaa (pronounced puh puh), nugget, Stinkerpot/Stinkerbritches, Bug (short for Cuddlebug) and my favorite which is said the most...HudsonBoo!

*You are so nosey alert. You always know what is going on. You love to reach out and grab things-you take things in front of you and can take your "Bob" out and back in your mouth. You love to stare at lamps, ceiling fans, and large paintings/artwork.

*You have begun to enjoy eating solids. This month you have had rice cereal, apple sauce, bananas, and carrots. You like them so much, you are already a member of the "Clean Plate Club"!

*You have kind of found your feet. You aren't nearly as impressed with them as Mommy is. I can't keep my hands off them. There isn't much more I love to do than kiss and nibble on a baby foot.

*You are SUPER laidback. Even the days when you haven't had a nap all day, it really doesn't seem to bother you. You don't fuss too much.

Hudson, You are growing up too fast. Can you please slow down for your Mommy?

Spring Has Sprung

You can tell Spring has come to Memphis when I get my first pollen induced sickness (check) and the Haynes household goes to Jerry's Snow Cones on a Saturday night for dinner (check). Tonight was our first trip to Jerry's in a year and it was just as good as we remembered!

 

It was a big night for Jackson too. He got his very own tonight- blue bubblegum. Isn't that what every kid gets? He doesn't quite have the pallate for sophisticated snow cones like strawberry with soft serve ice cream mixed in. Ha!

Hudson even got a taste. Hey, don't get on to me. It was a tiny amount. I felt bad for him, he was feeling left out of all the snow cone goodness!

Check out the blue smile. I think you can tell that he liked it. In fact he had blue EVERYWHERE! He came home and got a good scrubbing so he doesn't look like a smurf tomorrow at church. (Are you loving the fake smile? The camera on my phone takes forever to take a picture. He sat there and held it-the longer he held it the bigger his eyes got and the faker the smile.)

*Jacksonism of the day*

On the way home from Jerry's I was still eating my snow cone. It take me a long time to finish ice cream. I leaned over the seat and gave him a bite and scene...

Jackson: Mommy, can I have a bite?

Mommy: after giving him a bite "Jackson, can you say thank you?"
Jackson: "De Nada" (which means "your welcome" in Spanish)
Mommy: "Did you just say De Nada"
Jackson: "Yea"

Apparently, he thought I was telling him "thank you" so he was telling me "your welcome" in his own way. I guess he is learning something from Handy Manny because we don't watch Dora. Then he proceeded to count to 5 (which he said was: uno, dos, tres, qinco, frito...hey we skipped 4 and threw in a Chip brand but we are new at this) and say "gracias". Who knew talking tools were educational?

Weekend Fun

This weekend, Jason went camping with my sister's fiance and the rest of the groomsmen, so we packed up and headed to my parents house. It was a nice weekend just to get away. My parents live in "the country" and it is so quite, so we got some good rest at night. We went out to eat on Friday night and Saturday I helped my Mom with some wedding things while my Dad and Jackson went to the John Deere dealership. They went to get a lawn mower, but they came back with this...

Jackson is the proud new owner of a John Deere Gator. Dad said that Jackson sat on it the whole time they were there so he decided to get it for him. (Can you say sucker? I wonder if I go sit in a new car, will he get that for me?...May have to try that)

Apparently while they were there Jackson was pretty charming. He came home talking about Mrs. Debbie and telling me she gave him candy. They also gave him a brand new John Deere hat. Dad said he was walking around and making friends with everyone there-Silly boy!

They came home and after charging the battery for 18 hours he was able to ride it. He is a pretty good driver for being 2.5.

Sunday, we went to my sister's bridesmaid dinner. One of her favorite restaurants is Stix in Collierville, so that is where we went.

I got the favors for the dinner. Are these not adorable. Laurie from Whimsy Cookie Co. made them. She made a bride cookie for Shawn, bridesmaid cookies for the girls and a ring for Jackson since he is the ring "barrow" (what Jackson calls his job). Not only were they cute, they were SO YUMMY. (Trust me, the picture doesn't do them justice. They were precious! You can't tell all the details she put on them)

We had such a fun time eating at the hibachi table!

Jackson was pretty entertained.

Shawn has always had a love for Barbie. When she was a little girl, several of her birthday cakes were Barbie cakes. She has been asking for a few years for a Barbie dress cake for her birthday. Well, she finally got her Barbie cake. She was SO excited.

We have had a wonderful weekend. Since we weren't home this weekend, my house is in need of cleaning. I am off to try to make it a little better!

My New Obsession!

Ok guys, I have a new obsession. If you haven't visited The Pioneer Woman , go now! I have seen this website before, I just never got into it. She has some incredible recipes and great photography tips (I am working on both my cooking and my picture taking). I have to go to the grocery now cause I have new things to cook. Just wanted to pass it on to all you Mommy's out there who struggle with cooking the same thing-I know I do!

P.S.-She also has a cookbook out. Jason, Mother's Day is coming up...*hint *hint!

Easter 2010

*Warning...picture OVERLOAD!*

What a wonderful weekend we had. I had all intentions to post this blog last night when we got home, but I was exhausted and the bed was calling my name.

On "Easter Eve, Jackson and I made Ressurection cookies. This was the first time we made them, but I think we will make them every year. I was able to tell the Easter story to Jackson as he put the ingredients in the bowl. He beat the pecans like Jesus was flogged (John 19: 1-3). He put the vinegar in the bowl, like Jesus drank on the cross (John 19:28-30). He tasted the salt-salty like Jesus' tears (Luke 23:27). He poured in the sugar-the sweetest part of the story. Jesus was on the cross because he loved us so much (Psalm 34:8 and John 3:16).

We mixed the ingredients and then put them in the oven overnight.

We sealed the "tomb" with tape and waited until morning to get the cookies out. When we broke them open, the cookies were hollow...just like the tomb after Jesus rose! Pretty neat.

In the morning, we opened Easter baskets before church.

Me and my boys. (early morning...please excuse me, I am a total mess!)

Jackson, what did you get? He got a kite and a couple DVDs and of course candy. This year he had a breakfast of a Cadbury egg and yogurt. Thats from the food groups, right? Dairy and protein(eggs=protein)?

After church, we went to my parents to eat lunch. Of course we had to take pictures. We clean up well and we had to have proof that we are more than a t-shirt and jeans family. (Don't you love a man in pink? I know I do!)
               

My sweet boys all dresses up.

After our yummy lunch, it was time for the first annual Whitworth family Easter egg hunt. These were Jason and Darris' baskets. HA!

 We all posed with our baskets. Shawn and I used our baskets from when we were little.

...and he's off. Jackson took hunting eggs VERY seriously! He did not want anyone helping him.

Everyone with their loot.

This is Jackson's bag of money. Can you see the $20 in there? He got more money than Jason and I did. He got $67 and we got $51 (Shawn and Darris got 80ish). As we were hunting, I wasn't gathering many, I was leaving them for Jackson. I felt bad taking many of "his eggs". Well I learned my lesson. I will gather as many as I can next year, he did better than we did. I have a feeling next year it will be full contact Easter egg hunting.

It was such a pretty day that Jackson even played in the sprinkler. Don't worry my parents have a warm water spicket outside so he was playing in water that felt like bathwater.

Then it was kite flying time. We had 3 kites flying (Spider-man, Hello Kitty and a parrot). The Hello Kitty kite was my sisters, but notice who actually had it. My Dad played with it the whole time.
                         

Again Dad with his Hello Kitty kite (he would kill me if he knew I put these up)

While everyone else was flying kites, I got in some good snuggle time with Hudson. He has gotten so fun. He is just so happy and smiling all the time. Yesterday, he was giving us some good belly laughs while I was tickeling him.

We crashed on the way home. We got home around 7 and we were all in bed not too long after that. We had a wonderful day that we celebrated with our church family, our family, and the wonderful weather. Can it get any better than that?

He is risen...he is risen indeed!