Get ready for picture overload!

We drove up to the mountains today to enjoy the fall colors. We went for two short hikes and had lots of fun! Logan especially liked chasing Connor down the trail :)



One of our walks was around Sprague Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park


Every time Logan saw a rock larger than himself he would hug it and say "Happy....Heavy..." It looked like he was trying to pick them up :)




Connor doesn't really care where he is, he just loves posing for pictures!


We were a little tripod-happy today so amazingly there are lots of pictures of all 4 of us together! Perhaps one will be worthy of a Christmas card :)




This looks so peaceful


I love this one!


And just in case you thought the whole day was sunshine and aspen leaves, here's a shot of the one big meltdown Logan had today! We still have no idea why he was throwing a fit - he was crying, jumping up and down and screaming for no apparent reason other than to remind us that he is two years old! :) Luckily it was over quickly...

Conferences and nightlights

I went to Connor's first pre-K parent/teacher conference on Friday. I was expecting to hear pretty much the same thing as last year - something like "he's such a happy, friendly, active, energetic boy! He needs more work on his fine motor skills but he's a typical boy who'd rather be running than writing." Instead his teacher said that he's doing great with his fine motor skills - he's writing his name well and practicing other letters well. She did say that he's really active but that she puts that energy to use and lets him be the official "chair stacker" which he loves. She said that he sits nicely during circle time, takes direction well and is learning a lot.

What surprised me is the only thing that she's concerned about - his feelings! He's told me many times that his best friends are Andrew, Brody and Caleb (I jokingly call them his "ABC friends" because of their initials!). She said that Andrew and Brody are best buds and, try as he might, Connor hasn't really been able to break in and become friends with them. I guess they've been mean to him several times and that she's heard Connor say things like "but you can be friends with me too!" which she was impressed with - that he would try to reason with them and be so persistent. She said it breaks her heart how hard he tries to be friends with them and is rejected all the time! He hasn't shared any of this with us so I have mixed feelings about it. I'm glad that he's such a happy and resilient little guy that it doesn't get him down enough to be sad when he comes home but I want Andrew and Brody to be friends with him! Who wouldn't want to be friends with Connor? :) Nope, I'm not biased at all!

Anyway, it was good to hear he's doing well otherwise. She gave me a list of skills kids should have to be ready for kindergarten and he almost has them all already! The one area that still needs more practice is that whole writing thing but they're definitely working on it at school and we're doing some at home too so it'll come! There's almost a year until kindergarten so he has plenty of time! He's mastered almost all the other skills already - knows all his colors, recognizes all the upper and lower case letters, is starting to sound out words, can run and jump and kick and catch, is responsible for his own belongings (backpack, lunchbox), can use the bathroom independently (yes, that was a skill listed on there!), etc.

Here's another funny conversation we had in the car a few days ago...

Connor: Mommy, what do you want for your birthday?

Me: [surprised he somehow knows my birthday is in a couple weeks] Oh I don't know. You could make me a card.

Connor: No, Mommy. I can't make you a card. What do you want that I can buy at a store?

Me: Well, I'm not sure. I've been wanting a wireless mouse for my laptop. [yep, I'm a dork - I really do want one and it's cheap so I figured if he was taking this info back to Daddy I might as well ask for something I actually want!]

Connor: No, Mommy! I can't buy that. What else do you want?

Me: Ummm....

Connor: Ok, Mommy, what do you want that has a lightbulb in it?

Me: What?

Connor: What do you want that has a lightbulb in it?

Me: A...lamp? [Trying to figure out where he's going with this...]

Connor: No...try again.

Me: A...nightlight?

Connor: Yeah! That's what you want! I'm going to buy you a nightlight!

Me: I want a nightlight?!

Connor: Yes, I have one and it's great. You should really have one too.

So, I think I'm getting a nightlight for my 32nd birthday. It's just what I've always wanted! :)

Connor's pick for President

There's a home in our neighborhood with an Obama/Biden sign in their yard. The first time we drove past it, Connor asked what it said. I explained that it said Obama/Biden and reminded him that Barack Obama is running for President and Joe Biden is hoping to be Vice President. I told him that the election is just a little more than a month away and that people put signs in their yards sometimes to tell people which candidate they think is best. He listened intently. I explained that Obama is running against John McCain and then asked him who he would vote for, if he could. He replied, without any hesitation...

Connor: I would vote for Rock Obama!

Me: Oh yeah? Why is that?

Connor (yelling): Because he's going to WIN!

Me: Haha! Ok, why do you think he's going to win?

Connor: Because he's on my tv.

Me: John McCain is on tv too, you know.

Connor: No he isn't. I saw Rock Obama on 9News but I've never seen John McCain on 9News.

I guess he's learning early about the liberal media? :) haha! Our conversation continued...

Me: So, because he's on 9News, you would vote for Barack Obama.

Connor: I guess so. Can I vote for George Bush?

Me: No, he can't be President anymore. He's already been President for 8 years and that's the limit. He's not allowed to be President anymore.

Connor: Oh. But I like him.

Me: Well, he can't be President after January 20th, 2009.

Connor: Oh. What about George Washington?

Me: Well, um, he's, uh...dead... [what was I supposed to say?]

Connor: WHAT?!

Me: He lived a long, long time ago. He was the first President of our country over 200 years ago.

Connor: Oh. What about his family?

Me: You mean his wife or his children? [Please don't make me say they're dead too...]

Connor: Yeah, can they be President?

Me: Well, we have to choose between Barack Obama and John McCain this year. Those are our choices.

Connor: Well I'm voting for George Washington's family.

:)

P.S. Jeremy and I celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary today! Can't believe it's been 9 years!

The most exciting word in Logan's vocabulary

I keep forgetting to post this! Logan really missed Connor for the two days they were apart last week. He missed him so much that shortly after Connor got home Logan learned how to say his name! In the past Logan has really only said words that we've specifically concentrated on but recently he's been coming up with words all on his own. It's so fun to hear him yell for Connor when they're not in the same room or say "Bye Connor" or repeat Connor's name over and over again to get his attention. It's probably a small thing to most people but it's super exciting for us - even more than Mama and Dada I think!

Also now that Logan's speech is improving they're starting to have conversations just between the two of them in the back seat while we're driving. So cute!

Jesus and Bob the Builder

When I picked Connor up from school on Monday I asked him how his day was. I got the usual answer of "good" so I probed a bit further...

Me: What did you learn today?
Connor: I learned that Jesus was a carpet guy.
Me: A carpet guy?
Connor: Yeah, he put carpets all over the world. And rugs too, I guess.
Me: Ohhhh...you mean he was a carpenter?
Connor: Yeah, that's what I said, Mom. He probably vacuumed a lot too.
Me: Oh, no, actually a carpenter is someone who builds or fixes things. They use tools like hammers and saws.
Connor: Like Bob the Builder?
Me: Right. Like Bob the Builder.

Did I just compare Jesus to Bob the Builder? Hmm...
Connor and one of his classmates, Caleb, at a recent birthday party

What a week...

Never a dull moment around here....

Connor started getting a cold on Monday - just a runny nose, very slight fever, nothing too exciting or out of the ordinary for our little germ magnets. Tuesday night, though, the whole picture changed. He started coughing and didn't stop all night despite everything we tried to calm it. Sometime early in the morning he got to the point of throwing up he was coughing so hard. The poor little guy was exhausted (and so were we) by the time his pediatrician's office opened. I took him in and as soon as the nurse saw him she knew he was really sick - he was sitting in my lap with his head on my shoulder and he didn't talk to her or even smile when she walked up which, as you probably know, is completely unlike him! And especially with her - she's been his nurse his whole life! She immediately took his temp (still just a low grade fever) and put on the pulse ox to measure his blood oxygen level - it was 87 percent. They like it to be at least 90. The doctor then examined him and noticed that his breathing was so labored that his skin was sinking in between his ribs. He'd complained that his tummy hurt but I had just assumed that it was his muscles hurting from coughing and throwing up and didn't think to investigate further!

So, the tone of the appointment changed immediately from "he just has a bad cold/cough" to "he's not breathing properly and we have to do something NOW." Scary. So we did one nebulizer treatment in the office and then went to get a chest x-ray. The x-ray came back ok - no pneumonia and just a few cloudy areas that the doctor expected given the wheezing she heard in his lungs. His oxygen level still wasn't rising so we did another nebulizer treatment. It was during that time when the word "hospital" first came up - if this treatment didn't bring his levels up then he would have to be admitted. Eek! The second treatment helped a bit but they were still really concerned so we were sent to the hospital.

Connor spent Wednesday and Thursday nights in the hospital receiving steroids, nebulizer treatments around the clock and constant oxygen up until about midnight last night. The steroids finally took effect and he was able to keep his O2 levels up on his own. Yippee! He's back to his old self and can't wait to ride his bike and play soccer again!

The boys on Monday


The boys in Connor's hospital bed on Thursday afternoon


Connor looking out his hospital room window


As you might expect, Connor was a pretty good patient and immediately made friends with anyone who walked close enough to get sucked into Connor-land :) He made all the nurses laugh and definitely made an impression on them! Like everything that comes his way in life he took it in stride and had a great attitude about it all. He really dislikes the breathing treatments but he's getting used to them now (and they have to continue at home for at least a few days).

There were quite a few memorable moments, here are just a few:

- When we told him he (obviously) couldn't go to school Wednesday morning he was really concerned that we call his teacher right away. After Jeremy called Connor asked "Did she say they would cancel class today?" Because, you know, pre-k without Connor just isn't worth having!
- He was so excited that there was a shower in his bathroom that he asked constantly if he could use it. When he finally got to he said "that was the best shower ever!"
- They should really NOT put a nurse call button or bed adjustment buttons within reach of a pediatric patient. :)
- Somehow Connor convinced every tech that he needed to listen to his own heartbeat with their stethoscopes and they all assumed that it was his first time hearing it so they spent extra time talking to him all about his heart and lungs. They were all wrapped around his little finger in no time!
- Papa brought Chutes and Ladders! It was Connor's first time playing this game and he loves it!
- When Grandma and Papa asked what they could bring to the hospital on Thursday Connor asked for a "Hannah Montana cupcake with sprinkles". I have no idea where his Hannah Montana obsession came from - he watched a part of one show one afternoon after he'd seen her on a backpack and he didn't even like the show! Papa wasn't able to find a Hannah Montana cupcake (do they even make such a thing? Probably...she's everywhere!) but chocolate cake was a good replacement.
- We hadn't been there for more than a few hours when we had an extremely fun visit from a music therapist. Connor got to play all sorts of instruments and so did we! Connor loves music and dominated the session of course - I'm sure the poor therapist was wondering if he was really sick :)
- In the first 24 hours when they were really worried about him staying hydrated he had lots of popsicles, juice and jello. One nurse joked with him that she wanted to keep his purple popsicle and eat it herself and he thought that was the craziest thing ever. He told her that "doctors can't eat popsicles, especially purple ones, and they can't have fun either. They have to work." :) Later she asked if he had any brothers or sisters he told her about Logan and when she asked again if he had any sisters he said "NO and I don't like girls."
- A closet with tons of kid movies in it on the pediatric floor? Yes, it was a good way to pass the many hours but I think that habit is going to be hard to break! :) As one would finish he would plan out the next TWO he wanted to watch and was more excited about stopping by the video closet than going to the playroom on his walks!
- He loved the room service, of course. What could be better than picking out pretty much any food you want, having it brought to your bed and you don't even have to get out of bed to eat it? He already misses that part. Wait, so do I! :)
- Connor really missed Logan. He would ask where Logan was as we went to sleep both nights. When Logan came to visit yesterday Connor had to show him everything in the room and tell him about everything he'd gone through. When we got home today Connor was so excited to see Logan and wanted to just keep hugging him! Logan was excited to see us too - he was really attached to me tonight!

Most of all we just felt so blessed by all the people who helped out over the last couple days - our great friends who let Logan sleep over both nights, grandparents visiting and helping out with Logan, and all the well wishers who came to the hospital or called to check in on him! His soccer coach came both yesterday and this morning and another soccer team friend brought a card the whole team had signed during practice yesterday! He got to talk to his teacher this afternoon and was very sad to hear that they'd made banana bread yesterday but that it was all gone. Maybe we'll make some at home tomorrow!

Oh yeah, and all this happened during one of the busiest weeks I could have had at work. There's never a good time for things like this to happen, of course, but my company had to deliver working software to a customer by today no matter and since I'm the primary tester on this program my involvement was critical. So, I was attached to my laptop and cell phone as much as I could be....fun fun.

Anyway, it was a long couple of days for us all but hopefully we'll be able to rest and recover a bit this weekend and get back on track next week. It's good to be home! And healthy!

Happy Labor Day!

We had a relaxing Labor Day weekend. The boys went for quite a few bike rides and today we played in the water in the backyard to cool off a bit. Our regular camera is still broken but we found our old one so here are a few pics from it!


Taking a break from the fun


Funny faces


This one isn't a great shot of Connor but Logan's eyes look really blue in it so I had to include it too :)


And a few tidbits from the last several weeks...

Connor's favorite show to watch with Jeremy is Wipeout. Have you seen it? Each time he gets to watch it he asks Jeremy the same line of questions...

"Daddy, can you run?"
Yes...
"Daddy, can you jump?"
Yes...
"Daddy, can you swim?"
Yes...
"Daddy, can you spin around?"
Yes...
"Daddy! You could go on Wipeout!!"
No... :)

Connor's really up on current events though he doesn't entirely understand it all or remember all the details, of course. For example he saw a picture of US Olympian Tyson Gay the other day and said "Mommy! It's Rock Obama!" :)

Ever since the tornado siren we experienced a few weeks ago Connor has been fascinated by storms - what causes them, where they are, what they do, etc. So when Gustav started approaching land we watched a bit of the coverage and talked about it A LOT. Now both boys enjoy spinning around in circles in the living room and falling down. Connor asked to pray with me for the people in the storm and said "Dear God, please watch out for the people in the hurricane. Don't let it hurt their homes. Amen. Oh wait, Mommy, I'm not done, close your eyes. Dear God, please don't let the hurricane hurt anyone. Amen. Wait, I forgot something. Dear God, please don't let the hurricane hurt anyone's lawnmower because when they go back they need to mow their grass. Amen. Ok, that's it." :)

If you've spent any time with Logan you know how attached he is to several stuffed animals, the most important one being a yellow duck. Lately if one of us is telling him no for some reason, he whines for the other parent first but if the other parent isn't there or isn't immediately sympathetic (you know, cause he's probably not supposed to be doing whatever it is he was doing), he'll whine for his duck instead :) It's hard not to laugh when he does it!