Houston Texans Football

Ryan was able to get some tickets to the Texans game against the Colts so it was a no brainer, we'd be there! The Texans certainly aren't the best team in the NFL, but they're our team and we're loyal to them. We jump at the chance to get to go to a game at Reliant.

As soon as we got to the game, the Texans were playing awesome! They kept a solid lead the first 2 quarters, then things went downhill after the half. They held their own for a while, but they couldn't keep up with the Colts and ended up losing. It was a quiet ride home, but we still managed to have a great time, sans kiddos! A big thanks to Geemie who came out and sat with our girls. They had a great time, not sure they were happy to see us when we got home!

Campity, Camp, Camping

On a whim Saturday night, Ryan and his sister Melanie decided it would be fun to go camping, but where? Why, our backyard! They set up tents, got lots of blankets and pillows, and hot dogs and stuff to make s'mores. It was the perfect night to camp, about 62 degrees overnight so not too cold. I elected to stay indoors with Lane, wasn't sure how well she'd do with the whole sleeping outside thing. I could see some major distractions and not a lot of sleeping from her!

We roasted the hot dogs and ate s'mores then it was time to call it a night around 11:00. It sure made for some fun memories for one Addyson LeeAnn. She thought it was the coolest that we let her sleep outside.

More Than Thankful

My heart is very full!

I feel like a good amount of the time I tend to focus on what's NOT going my way. The house is messy, kids aren't being quiet when I might have a headache, the laundry needs folding, or Ryan is traveling and I don't think I can find much more patience, and the list can go on.

But at this time of year I am feeling so grateful for the endless amounts of blessings I have! I should be happy I have a messy house, it means we have a home that is filled with things we want and need. I'm happy I hear the girls being loud, it means that Heavenly Father has trusted me with such special gifts as my girls. I'm happy I have enormous amounts of laundry, it means we are clothed. And, I'm happy my husband travels, it means he has a great job and that he is a hard worker.

Tonight we drove around for a bit looking at Christmas lights. I turned around to look at the girls in the backseat, they were holding hands and giggling. This is what life is about...happiness!

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours; may your Fried Turkey, Sweet Potato Casserole, Mashed Potatoes, Corn Casserole, Dressing, gravy, and Pumpkin Cobbler be as good as ours!

Family, Food, and Football

Aren't those really the best parts about Thanksgiving? I think so! We got together with my family Thanksgiving Day for a really good time! We had turkey and all the trimmings along with some great family time, then some UT vs TX A&M football. Of course we knew who'd win that game, but thought it would be fun to cheer on our longhorns anyway! :)

The kids all had a blast playing outside and it was great catching up with my sisters. I love this time of year, a chance to really be together and to focus on the important things in life.

And, isn't that just the best magnet you've ever seen? My parents have it up on their fridge and I love it!

A Visit with Gloria Jean

Recently, my grandmother was moved into an assisted living/nursing home and I've really been wanting to go see her. The facility is about an hour away from our house, not too far, but I just haven't found the time to get over there. This morning I decided that the girls and I needed to pay her a visit. I didn't call her to tell her we were coming, I wanted to surprise her. When we got there, Brandy was there, then my Mom showed up. It was so great walking in and seeing her and her eyes lighting up when she saw us. It's been too long. She's definitely aging, but during the visit I realized she hasn't lost her dry sense of humor that makes her, her. We got to stay about 45 minutes, and I wanted to stay longer, but Addyson was hungry and Delaney was starting to get loud. Loud and elderly people don't go together all that well!

I really need to carve out sometime for my sweet grandmother at least once every 2 or so weeks. She's a special lady that I have lots and lots of fond memories of. I really enjoy being around her...

Breathing a Sigh of Relief

A big THANK YOU to my sweet sister-in-law, Niki! She recommended some lotion for little Lane's Eczema that really helped. No more red and irritated hands and feet(still wondering why neither of her dermatologists ever told us about the stuff??), thank the Good Lord. I can't believe that after only one application she's so much better. Hopefully we can keep it under control for a while!

Our Laney Lou Turns 2

Our littlest turned 2 today! Amazing that it seems like I was just asking the nurse, "Really, I'm already at a 10, I need to push? I really wanted to nap some more!" haha That little one came into this world and immediately made her sweet little mark. I fell in love with her right away. The nurses couldn't bring her over to me fast enough. Seemed like forever until they weighed her and cleaned her up a bit. She was like a little present I couldn't wait to open. I took off her cap and discovered the most beautiful golden hair and the sweetest little angelic face. Instant love!

Some of her "loves" today are; being held(even though I get a hard time about this because I always indulge her), waving, she waves to everyone, her dog, her big sister, popsicles, her Princess Baby book, her "night-night"(blanket), binkie, yogurt, car rides, being tickled, The Imagination Movers TV show, pizza, swinging in her pink swing, wearing other people's shoes, bubble baths, oranges, the Radio Flyer Wagon, trips to the zoo...those are just a few!

Little Laney Lou has really captured our hearts and has no intentions of letting go! How blessed we are that Heavenly Father gave us such a precious gift.

**At her 2 year well visit, little Lane weighed 28 lbs and she's 33 3/4 in tall. A growing girl!

A Party for Delaney!

We celebrated little Laney Lou's birthday this past weekend with a dinner party that included friends and family. The Lahiere's, Mom and Dad, The Pope's and our friends the Clark's came and we all had a great time. Ryan picked up Johnny Carino's for dinner and we had a yummy cookie cake for dessert.

Ryan blew up the bouncer in the backyard so it was nice for the kiddos to be able to get some energy out! We ate, watched football, had cake, and opened presents...what a fun day for such a SWEET little girl!!

Eczema

Normally I wouldn't post something on my blog about an illness that one of my girls is dealing with, but the Eczema that Lane has, has really has become a big part of our lives, unfortunately.

When she was about 4 months old I started noticing her hands, feet, knees and elbows covered in this red stuff that seemed to make her pretty uncomfortable. I took her in to see a dermatologist at 6 months old and he said it was Eczema. I've heard of plenty of people having it, I've just never seen a case like this, and sadly one of my kids had to endure it. Sometimes when I check on her at night while she's sleeping I'll see her rubbing her feet together and I know she's not sleeping well at all.

I feel like I know pretty much everything about the stuff, I just wish I knew of a way to get rid of it, but nothing completely cures it. Well, according to her doctor, age is the only thing that helps it.

Normally when Lane gets sick, or there's a drastic change in temperature, the Eczema flares up, and this week it's been about as bad as I've seen it. I'm sure the Strep Throat caused the flare up and now we're trying to get it back under control. Today she walked around crying because her hands and feet were really hurting. I felt so bad for her, and I couldn't do anything for it.

I know there are many worse things in the world for people to have to live with, but for a 2 year old that doesn't understand, it's pretty hard on her.

One of Those Weeks

Most of the time I can handle pretty much anything that's thrown at me, but this week was a bit different.

Ryan headed to Vegas for a work/play trip that I was supposed to be on. Brandy was going to keep our girls Sun-Tues. but then her oldest, Bailey, came down with Strep, and she wasn't feeling too hot herself. So, I ended up staying home and really I was fine with that. I was bummed not to get some alone time with Ryan for a few days, but our time will come.

Tuesday afternoon Lane took a 3.5 hour nap, way out of character for her. She's normally a 1.5-2 hour napper. When she woke up she was burning up! I tore the house apart looking for my thermometer and couldn't find it so I wasn't sure of just how high her temp was. Fast forward to 4 the next morning. She woke up again with a really high fever, higher than I've felt anyone have before. I'm guessing it was around 102-103. I was really worried about her, I didn't ever go back to sleep because I kept checking in on her, she was acting real lethargic and didn't want any juice, unusual for her.

Few hours later we were all up and getting Addyson ready for school. She didn't want to wear anything I put in front of her, didn't want the PB&J I made her for her lunch, and even decided to talk back to me a few times. Things weren't going well, and Lane was crying in the background. Addyson's carpool arrived at 8:40 to get her for school and at that point she started crying and throwing one of her greatest all time tantrums saying she didn't want to go with Mrs. Kim to school. So, I ended up having to take her, we were running late, and on the way I got pulled over for speeding. I lost it. I'm not one to cry my way out of a ticket, but I was just wondering what else could happen that day. The officer was really great. He let me go with a warning and said, "Mrs. Johnson, I hope your day gets better, and please slow down." Nice!

I finally got little Lane to the Dr., they ran a test for the Flu, but it came back positive for Strep. I was actually really relieved that it was NOT the flu! Strep is really easy to get and really easy to get rid of. She's had 2 doses of her anti biotic and already she's feeling better. I was worried we were going to have to cancel her birthday celebration for Saturday. Looks like it's still on!

Glad my husband is back, and even happier that there's now 2 sets of hands around here again...