Wednesday, July 29, 2009

You Got It!

Yesterday, I saw this little treasure posted on Craig's List. It has a light underneath that lights up the work area (for tracing, etc) and a light on top, plus lots of storage. It was cheap and located in New Holland, so I emailed about it, and the guy called me and said it was still available. Here he goes to Petra and knew my sister (who's on staff there), and when Shawn went to get it, it was a guy he knew from high school who knew his sister Missy. It is a small world!

Joshua loves his new desk. I thought he would. It's bigger than it looks in this picture (as we found out when Shawn went to pick it up and we fit it into our office!). There's lots of storage for crayons and markers, and it's the perfect size for him. Oh, how I hope he enjoys it! I love "good stuff cheap."

Another funny Bean story that I had to share. This morning, Joshua asked for "peanut butter bread with white butter" (he gets butter and peanut butter confused). I said to him "YOU GOT IT!" and he got very upset. He shouted back at me "No, I don't got it! You got it! I want it!" Haaaa!!! I tried to explain to him that "you got it" is like saying "okay" or agreeing. He didn't get it. He didn't "got it" and he wanted it! Haaa!!! I tried all morning to keep using the expression, but he kept getting more upset so I let it go. He then asked to take a nap, and he's sleeping now (it's 9:30 am).

I've been working with Joshua on learning his date of birth. He came into our room this morning, climbed up in our bed, and said to me "my birthday is September 18." Yes, yes it is! He told Daddy, too. :) :) :) He tells me Caleb is 1 and Joshua is 2. Soon, though, he'll be three. But, he can't hold up three fingers altogehter without letting the fourth pop up. :)

Last night, Caleb went to Bible study with me and he did well the whole time in the nursery. Yeah! He now says "more," "quack," "book," and "up." He jabbers a lot more than that, but those are the distinguishable words. His favorite food is blueberries, but they don't agree with him... enough said. He's definitely not a morning person and usually takes awhile to get half-happy in the morning (the opposite of the Bean). He's loving books these days and thoroughly enjoys being read to, but he also enjoys turning the pages back and forth. I'm taking him to the pediatrician later this morning. Yesterday he started rolling his eyes into the back of his head. I called the doctor concerned, and they said that they should take a look just to be safe. Please keep both boys in your prayers!

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Help, Health & Hope

Yesterday my mom offered for us to go to her house so she could help with the boys after my second surgery. She had also brought us some food over the weekend (God bless her!) that we had eaten gratefully. We enjoyed our morning there and the boys took a long nap when we got home. Then last night my friend Becca came with a meal for us - it was great! When Shawn got home, dinner was ready to eat. I was in sooo much pain yesterday. Maybe it was the barometric pressure? The only reason I say that is because after dinner, we went outside to get some fresh air. Shawn & the boys were playing soccer and I was relaxing on the lounge chair. I thought "maybe a walk will help my circulation and ease the pressure that I feel building in my leg." So, I begged Shawn to take a quick walk around the neighborhood with me (not something he enjoys). We put Caleb in the stroller and let Joshua walk, and we started down the street. We no more than walked the first block, and we felt a drip come down from the sunny skies. Could it have been what we thought it was? No... Only, heaven didn't agree with us. Within seconds, the skies opened up and let loose. We were drenched. Joshua started to sing, and we laughed. He sang "I'm so blue-hoo-hoo, blue-hoo-hoo, blue-hoo-hoo, blue, I'm so blue I don't know what to do." We giggled and giggled. I couldn't run (honestly, I could barely even walk!), so we just enjoyed the shower and listened as Joshua sang and then would talk about God playing the drums with the thunder. We all dried off when we got in the door, and the boys got ready for bed. I rocked Caleb to sleep and then tucked in the Bean. I love night time!
This morning Nonie picked up the boys for a day at her house. After they left, I headed for my follow-up ultrasound for my left leg. The ultrasound gal said that my left leg looked good, and also told me that the pain I'm experiencing in my right leg could actually be a good thing. The thrombis (or blood clot) that's so sore and causing the inflammation could be a sign that the vein is clotting off and may go away on its own. She said only time will tell, but it gave me hope. And it reminded me of two Bible verses in my homework this week. Psalm 126:5-6 "Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him." Please pray that this pain isn't for nothing - that my vein is healing and going away and that this clot is a good thing!!!

While I was looking forward to a "day off" to get some rest, etc. I'm really missing my boys today. But, I'm glad they're having fun. Joshua was looking forward to seeing Nonie today and could barely contain his excitement. She also brought us a lasagna to eat for dinner tonight, which was so sweet. I'm so thankful for the help, the meals, etc. We are blessed.

Sunday, July 26, 2009

It's 3 am I must be lonely...

The title of my post was the title of a song by Matchbox 20 when I was in school. In reality, it's 3:30 am right now. And I'm not lonely, but I am suffering from a bit of insomnia. Actually, truth be known, I'm suffering from a stomach ache that is keeping me awake. Medication? (I don't think so. I did at first, but I didn't experience this last time and it's all the same stuff.) All that take-out we've eaten over the last week? (Maybe. To do over again, I would have stocked our freezer with meals like I did before I had my c-section with Caleb. But, since we were in Florida and we needed the fridge space for Caleb's party thereafter right before my first surgery, I hadn't even gone grocery shopping in awhile. Then I couldn't move to go out or cook really and didn't really want Daddy gone after work since I was ready for help with the boys. So, greasy take-out became a staple...not great for our wallet or our waste. But, that said, the stomach ache has been since the last surgery, and not in between...hmmm). A stomach bug? (I'm praying not! God knows I have enough going on right now....WE have enough going on right now, I should say.) That said, anything in this post may or may not sound coherent based on the time of day. But, I'd rather not waste the time doing nothing when I haven't posted in awhile and the boys are all in bed.I had my second surgery this past Friday. As I wrote in an email to my mother-in-law: "It went much better...well, I went in there with a long list of questions since my last one wasn't so hot, and that earned me the complete knock out. :) :) :) So, I was under and didn't feel a thing, other than the nurse sticking me four times 'til she found a painful spot for my IV.

The anestesiologist (sp?) said that when you have bad veins in your legs, that can mean that you can have vein issues everywhere, which is probably the case with me. But, they told me last time that I have an extremely healthy heart - great blood pressure and my heart beats less than others, which means that I'll have more beats left at the end of life (which won't mean a thing if something happens to another organ or my mind - haaaa!!!).

The doctor told me that I have phlebitis in the right leg, and once that calms down, it should start feeling better. He also said we'd re-evaluate at my next appointment to see if we should have another surgery to completely remove that vein. I'm hoping it just calms down on its own. He also said that the bleeding I experienced is NOT normal, but it didn't cause significant problems for me. He also said that I shouldn't have been told not to take my pain meds since I just had surgery and am healthy as a horse (my expression, not his). He said it wouldn't have harmed me, even though that's typically not the procedure. I thought "where were you last week when I was dying in pain?" Haaa!!! He had lots of good answers for my questions, so I felt more at ease today. Now I'm praying this inflammation and blood clot go away so that I feel better in my right leg! The drugs are defintely helping, too, so all in all it's been good. I know Shawn's exhausted from caring for the boys all day. Keep him in your prayers, too! And the boys!"


Tonight we went to church for the first time in a few weeks. I needed to get out of the house - I'm going stir crazy. Unfortunately, I didn't really get much out of it (have you ever heard a sermon that says "Feeling down? Running from God?" and your response is the same as it is to those questions drug commercials ask "Umm, nope, not really!" My legs felt swollen and ungodly painful and at one point I looked down at my arms, which are completely bruised with needle marks everywhere from where they tried to get my IV in. I told Shawn afterward that the people sitting next to us probably thought I was a druggy in dire need of church. Oh, I look afright!Thankfully, our marriage isn't based on our day-to-day looks (more the overall trend...just kidding!!!). Shawn has been amazing with the boys. He's such a great dad! And a great husband! I'm so very blessed. This has been a rough couple weeks since my first surgery. I really thought the first one would go more like the second did. But, as the surgeon explained, my tissue and veins are really inflamed in my right leg, which is causing an ungodly amount of pain. I feel like I can barely move. I'm not supposed to stand or sit for long periods of time (ummm...what else is there?). It's right at a spot where the boys hit into it a lot, too, so I'm extra cautious. These poor boys! It's finally nice out and their momma is out of commission! I notice, though, as Shawn is in pain from various injuries, he just keeps going. He doesn't let pain stop him (although the doc said pain can be our friend, telling us what we need to know so we should listen to it). I think, though, it's time that I get back up and running. Our house needs it! Our boys need it! Shawn needs it (whether or not he'd admit it)!
As I said, this post may be random. Right now I'm listening to two songs that were in my head. The first I heard on the radio the other day in the lunch hour "flashback" or whatever they call the old songs...the term has escaped my mind. Anyway, I remembered this Caedmon's Call song "This World," and I loved it. The lyrics include "This world has nothing for me and this world has everything. All that I could wanted and nothing that I need." My sister Jen got Caleb the Veggie Tales movie "Madame Blueberry" for his birthday, and Joshua has begged to watch it. In it, this blueberry is blue because she wants more stuff, and finally she gets to go to "Stuff-Mart" and buy everything (and more!) from her wish list but it doesn't bring her happiness. Her pursuit for more ends up destroying her house, literally. But, she finds that a thankful heart is a happy heart in the end. The Bean loves it, and it is such a good reminder for me, too. I am so thankful for our house, our cars, our stuff, but more importantly the people that surround me and a God that is good even when I'm not.The second song is a Bebo Norman song that they played at Bible study on Tuesday night. Right now we're studying the Psalms of Ascent (which hasn't been the greatest Beth Moore study I've done, but it's always good to be diving into God's word). I thought the lyrics of "I will lift my eyes" from Psalm 121 were excellent:

God, my God, I cry out
Your beloved needs You now
God, be near, calm my fear
And take my doubt

Your kindness is what pulls me up
Your love is all that draws me in

I will lift my eyes to the Maker
Of the mountains I can't climb
I will lift my eyes to the Calmer
Of the oceans raging wild
I will lift my eyes to the Healer
Of the hurt I hold inside
I will lift my eyes, lift my eyes to You

God, my God, let Mercy sing
Her melody over me
God, right here all I bring
Is all of me

(Chorus)

On Thursday night before my second surgery, I went and got my hair cut and colored. I've been dying my own hair to save money, but in the summer the sun turns any brown I try into an ugly pumpkin orange. Coupled with the fact that I'm not supposed to be standing for a long period of time and the fact that I hit another weight loss goal (thank you, Jesus!), I called up a gal that my friend recommended. I LOVED her! She was inexpensive, QUICK (which is of utmost importance to me with the boys), and I thought it turned out well. It's a little short for me, but I asked for it. I had been growing my hair out, but I've also been feeling like I look like a housewife, constantly pulling it up and back out of my face and not taking the time I need to style it with our schedules. I needed a blow-dry-and-go-but-still-looks-stylish 'do' again, so I went back to the stacked hair that everyone I know has. I also got a few blond streaks, which turned out well. And did I mention she was fast? And cheap? It was a good experience overall.

Anyway, all that said, while my hair was processing I read a great magazine article about premature babies and how they have turned out to be extraoridnary people. It brought tears to my eyes...oh, how I just know that God has an amazing destiny for our Joshua. He had such a struggle from birth, I know he will be more than a conqueror!

I also had time to read a great article on weight loss. It was nice to just sit and read for a few minutes. God is good!I loved this picture of the boys above. They are in a little parade around the vacuum cleaner, having fun with Daddy and each other.A couple other random stories. As Joshua & I were coloring the other morning (Caleb sat with us but mostly tried to eat the crayons until I put them out of reach), Joshua said "it's the baby elephant's birthday." I wondered where he got that from...then I realized that the picture he was coloring had an elephant in a hat that looked almost identical to Caleb's first birthday hat. I love how little minds think! He also surprised me the other day when we were looking at the blog and he said "that's Joshua looking at the boats." The picture has only the Bean and a flag in the background, but he remembered that we were looking at the boats that day in that place. He is so sharp! I see impressive intelligence in our lil' Caleb Luke, too. He is learning and growing everyday. He already has mastered going up and down the stairs by himself. He gets to the top and turns around to go down backward. I was afraid he wouldn't learn how, but it didn't take him long! I have more stories to post, but I'm getting tired...or at least my legs are starting to really ache.So, I'll end this post with the picture of Caleb blowing you kisses good night!

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Smile...or Quack Up!

Yesterday, I took the boys to Picture People at Park City to get their pictures done. It was the first day I've driven since my surgery, and I was soooo sore afterward that I came home and took a vicodeine (sp?). Hopefully, it doesn't affect my next surgery. I had a coupon for free pictures that expires tomorrow, and I didn't want to miss the opportunity. Below is the one I got.I also loved the following pictures. Mom met me at the mall, and the kids got some play time in the play area by the food court. Then Joshua went back to her house from some one-on-one love while Caleb came home with me for lunch. In the afternoon while the boys napped, I kept my leg elevated above my heart and prayed that my soreness would go away. My friend Lisa came over with a meal for us last night, and I could have cried...God is so good. It tasted delicious and came on a great night when I was hurting.The boys did well, for the most part. I liked many of the pictures, and put them in the order of my favorites on this post. Caleb kept wanting to walk away from the girl, even though he was enjoying himself and Joshua wanted to step right in to take his place. He loves being photographed!Caleb started saying his second word over the weekend. Beyond the mama, dadda, and other baby babbles, Caleb distinctly says "MORE!" We can now add to that, "QUACK!" He loved the duck the boys got on Saturday and now quacks on demand. When we were at the mall playground, he went right up to the duck and said "quack quack quack!" This is a favorite for Shawn & me. We giggle each time at how cute it is!Caleb is also starting to point out pictures in books. He loves the "Kiss Good Night" book we used to read to the Bean and is starting to pick out the bear and the mouse, just like Joshua did at this age. We're also trying to teach Caleb his body parts.The boys love to play together. They are so close! Caleb tries to do everything Joshua does. Sometimes this is amusing to the Bean; other times, it can be frustrating that he has to share. They do often end up laughing with one another.Last night, Shawn said he needed caffeine, so we went to the Starbucks drive-through since we had a coupon. Joshua always asks for his "joker face" song (which to the rest of the world is known as "Poker Face") and then he starts to dance. Last night he kept telling us to watch him dance and then watch Caleb dance. It looked like a scene out of a TV commercial "dah-dah-dah." They were both bopping their heads and smiling away at the music. We giggled...then joined in.Yesterday and today have been rainy, so they haven't been able to do much outside. I think they're both restless. I'm a little tired of being in the house myself, but I'm also too sore to think of wrestling with them out and about. Hopefully soon I'll be feeling 110% better!Tomorrow is my next surgery. Please pray that the boys have fun with Grandma & Shawn over the weekend and that everything goes well!

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Oh, Happy Birthday to You...a Happy Birthday to you!

Happy 56th birthday to my mom, who is kissing an alligator in the picture below.And Happy 4th birthday to my niece, Emma!
Hope you both have a great year!

Saturday, July 18, 2009

A Quack-tacular 34-month birthday

This weekend started out somewhat disappointing since we decided not to go to Shawn's family reunion. While I think we made the right decision based on how my leg is doing, the doctor's recommendation, and Shawn being covered in poison ivy, we knew that the Bean especially was going to be disappointed that he didn't get to see his aunts, grandparents and extended family. There's always next year!
Saturday was Joshua's 34-month birthday. It's been a rough week with me having to take it more easy, not being able to get real hot, etc. so we felt like we needed to do something special for the kids, especially our restless Joshua. So, we started Saturday morning by heading to the petting zoo in Leola, about a 10-minute drive from our house. Joshua loved it! We laughed when we said to the kids "whoa, look at that colorful bird!" and he said "that's a parrot!" Haaa...he's smarter than we think he is! The parrot said hello, and the Bean said hi. Joshua told us the colors of the bunnies, saw the donkeys, the llama, was amused by the kangaroo (since we just learned the day before that they start with "K" in Caleb's new Elmo book), saw the peacock and the yack, missed the pot-belly pig who decided he'd rather lay inside his stench-filled structure, was bewildered by the turkey gobbling, and was highly excited to see "STINKY" deer. [His grandparents have a stuffed 'dinky' deer that the Bean loves when we're down in FL, and he said "look, STINKY deer!" We laughed...so true on so many levels.] His highlight was feeding the goats and feeding the ducks...who quacked and quacked their thanks.Soon it was time to go. I was feeling sore, and thankfully that place isn't all that big. So, we came home and rested for awhile. When the boys woke up, Daddy filled their little Wally-the-whale pool and both boys enjoyed standing in the water and splashing around a bit, even though it was chilly. He got them dried off and dressed when they were all done, and we headed to McDonald's on Manheim Pike for dinner. Neither of us felt up to cooking (we were both exhausted) and we had been wanting to check out the indoor playground (which was nothing to write home about). Joshua ate maybe a handful of fries, and Caleb had some chicken nuggets. A little duck was in their value meal, and both boys thought this thing was cute. When we got home, I elevated my sore legs again. Shawn was also tired and itchy from his poison ivy. He let the boys play outside for a few minutes, which was long enough that Caleb fell in our driveway and got his first ever boo-boo on his knee. Daddy took him in and changed him into his PJ's before I could get a picture. We then let the boys play in the office, and Daddy took a couple quick pictures of the Bean on his 34-month birthday.I can't believe how Joshua is growing (not that these pictures do him any justice)! His mind is developing so rapidly now. Not only can he count, tell us all the colors (even some of the trickier ones like white, etc), knows all the alphabet letters, etc, he sees along to most songs now with the actual words, and we just love to see the way he thinks about things. When he got out of the car the day that my mom helped me with the boys by taking us all to her house, he pointed and said "look, the moon." And it was! Not only was the sun shining, you could also still see the moon. He loves tractors and birds and butterflies, and he loves to see how things work. He'll really listen as we tell him things and repeat it back at different times when we're not expecting it. I also love how he gently pats Caleb's head to show him affection. Potty training is still off and on. Some days he's awesome about telling us and awesome about wanting to use the potty, and so forth. Other days, he's not really interested. It's more of a process than I thought it would be, but I think that's normal. (Since I've never done this before, I have no idea!). All in all, our Bean is growing up to be an amazing kid. Both Shawn & I feel like we can trust him, which really shows his maturity as a child. We trust that he doesn't get into things, that he's gentle with others, that he's going to behave in certain situations. We talked about this phenomenon the other day...how much Joshua is growing and both of us as parents have such a deep respect and love for him. He has definitely changed since his headbanging/screaming-fits days, and he is really turning out to be an amazing kid! We got his 33-month evaluation in the mail - once again we have a letter that says he's developing normally. God is SO GOOD! All the time! Happy 34-month birthday, my Bean! Enjoy the last few months of being two!

I Survived!

Monday, July 13, was my first leg surgery. It was actually two veins in my right leg that needed to be taken care of. So, my mom arrived at 8:30 am and Shawn took me to the Surgical Center to prep for surgery. I couldn't eat or drink anything after midnight, and the boys had kept us both up the entire night before. So, we were exhausted! But, I figured I'd be sleeping a better part of the day anyway. They called me back shortly after 9 am, and once again I was a pin cushion as they tried to look for my "deep veins." They finally found a good spot in my arm, and I was thankful! The doctor was running a little late, but I finally was taken back for surgery close to 10:30 am. They started me out on my belly and told me that I wouldn't be completely out for the surgery. However, at the first stab (I later found out that they put holes the entire way up my leg as they shot a numbing agent in with a needle), I felt the pain immediately. The anethstesiologist asked me if I was surprised and I said "No, it's not out of shock that I'm wincing, it HURTS!!!" Almost immediately I was put all but completely out. I remember them waking me to roll me over and they were putting that stuff on your legs that preps them for surgery. I smiled and said "instant tan" and everyone laughed. The next thing I remember is waking up in recovery with my compression stocking already on. They gave me two good doses of pain medication through my IV that felt wonderful, some Lornadoones and some diet gingerale and sent us on our way.

My leg still looks bad, though, and at my recent ultrasound the gal explained that I was in too much pain for them to keep going. They treated the main two veins they were in there for, but the one that looks really bad he wasn't able to get this time because I wasn't tolerating it. I was confused and hope to talk to the doctor about it - why didn't they put me out, I wonder? But, the two spots where he tried to get into that vein have puffed up like a baseball and are black (more than blue) and feel awful. So, maybe he was wise... but since Shawn already had off work and I already had babysitters, etc I wish they would have just done it all. The ultrasound tech assured me that I didn't say anything inappropriate when I was half-incoherent and in pain...haaaa!!!
When we got home after the surgery, I went right to bed and slept until 5:30 pm at which time I got up to go to the bathroom. Joshua said "Mommy has an ouchy and tried to kiss it. Then we noticed that I was bleeding like a fire hydrant - blood shooting out everywhere, all over our carpet!!! I cried over the carpet, and I called the doctor's office. The on-call doctor (not the one who did the surgery) said that I needed to immediately have Shawn run and buy some gauze and tape and in the meantime hold a towel with pressure over it. If it didn't stop bleeding in ten minutes, I was to go to the emergency room. But, he assumed it would stop and said "it's normal" to bleed "somewhat." We did get it under control, but my stocking was soaked with blood and disgusting and he told me to leave it on and wrap the gauze on top of it.
In the morning, then, I called in to hopefully speak with my actual surgeon because the gauze became bloody overnight. His nurse told me to take the stocking off to see what the wounds looked like underneath. There are only four incisions, which include the two at the top of my leg where he couldn't do the one vein. The two at the bottom were the heavy bleeders. Plus, I have small dots the whole way up where they numbed me with a needle. Anyway, I couldn't believe how small they are compared to the amount of blood that had come out! Then she told me to put the stocking back on. My mom had already started rinsing it out, and the doctor had ordered a higher compression anyway, so we tried putting the new one on. Only we couldn't. It was trying to get something the size of a gi-normously swollen leg into something that looked like it was meant as a pencil holder. We couldn't even get my toes in. Frustrated, I called the nurse back. She told me I couldn't walk without compression and I MUST get this back on. I told her that I couldn't - what did she want me to do? The conversation continued like this for awhile. I was feeling aggravated (an understatement!). Finally, I called Shawn bawling and asked him to come home and see if his muscles would do the trick. It took all three of us to get this thing on and I didn't take it off until I went for my ultrasound, where I slid it to my ankle and worked it back up afteward.
To shower before my appointment, Mom came over and wrapped my leg in a large trash bag with duct tape around it, and I stood outside our master bathroom shower and washed my hair and then 'sponge-bathed' the rest. Last night I took off my stocking overnight and showered this morning. But, I was pretty sore so I put it right back on.
They told me to stop taking any pain medication since I'm having surgery again next week...I guess things like Advil can increase your chance of bleeding and complications. I could have cried when they told me that. I haven't driven since my surgery because I don't know that I could stop quickly with my swollen, sore right leg.

But, even though I'm sore and achy, cold and numb in areas, I'm alive. And I'm praying my legs look and feel better eventually!!! Please pray for my next surgery that it goes better than the first and that my first leg would heal without an additional surgery needed!
A special thanks to...
My husband, for taking off work to be with me and putting up with my whining when I'm sore. He also comes home from after working all day and takes care of the kids and tells me to rest. He's amazing.
My mom, who watched the kids the day of my surgery, picked up my compression stocking prescription and advil the following day, rescued me on Wednesday when I called her for help with the boys - she took us all back to her house and let me nap while she played with the kids, she took me to my ultrasound on Thursday and watched the kids while I showered, etc. She'll also be here for my left leg surgery and can't imagine what I would do if I didn't have her help.
Nonie, who picked up both boys on Tuesday and watched them for the day so I could rest. It was a huge help!
My sister Jen who made us a delicious meal of mini-cheddar meatloaves and watched Joshua while I had my follow-up ultrasound, which allowed mom to focus on one roaming boy while I was being checked.
And lastly my two amazing little boys who have had to put up with their mommy moving slower than usual and not taking them outside as much (since I'm not supposed to get the leg too hot, etc). They have been sooo good through this entire ordeal.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

It's My Party & I'll Cry If I Want To

We celebrated Caleb's first birthday with a cookout on Sunday, July 12 starting at 4:30 pm. After cleaning the house, weeding our flower beds, mowing our lawn, buying & preparing food and decorating, it was finally time for the party to begin!We invited both sides of both our families, our life group friends and my dear friend Suzanne, who unfortunately couldn't make it. It ended up being our family (Shawn, me, Joshua & Caleb), of course; my sister Jen & her husband Mike and their five kids Grace, Faith, Emma, Daniel & John; Grandma (my mom) & her husband Ken; my sister Becky & her husband Tim; Shawn's brother Brian & his two kids Grant & Jenavieve; Shawn's sister Missy & her husband Kevin; Shawn's sister Hilary; Nonie & Poppy (Shawn's dad); Shawn's sister Alicia & her son Jordon; Shawn's Grandma Good; and our lifegroup friends Becca & Angel with their kids Alayna & Kyla; Chris & Lisa with their daughter Isabella; and John & Angie with their daughters Lael & Alonna. I don't think I missed anyone!Unfortunately, Caleb was somewhat crabby that entire afternoon. First, I thought he might be hungry...So, we invited our guests to eat. Shawn was the grill-master (thank you, love!) and cooked hamburgers & hot dogs. We also served macaroni salad (thanks for your help, mom!), watermelon, a veggie tray, doritos, chips, pickles and all the fixins that go along with the burgers, etc.Eventually I got the boys something to eat and tried to scarf a little myself before getting Caleb back down, who continued to cry. :(Joshua & Daniel ate together at the picnic table.Most everyone else sat on their lawn chairs and mingled.Before long it was time to break out the cake. I had ordered both cakes at Giant, where you get a free round cake for your child's first birthday. They were marble with buttercream frosting, and we had three types of ice cream: chocolate, vanilla and 'party cake' (which Shawn picked out - and it was delicious, I might add).With the 'pleasant' breeze, the 1 candle blew out before I reached Caleb as we sang to him. That was okay, though.Unlike Joshua, who dove right in, Caleb simply put a finger in the icing and decided he didn't want any. He cried 'til we got him down, and the cake was basically in tact.I took him inside to see if I could calm him down, and he tried to go to sleep. I realized that he had taken an earlier-than-normal nap, which had been great for us in getting things done for the party (like chopping veggies) but it didn't work so great for him, who was now exhausted.I didn't let him nap because we had gifts to open, but eventually he got a second wind. I felt bad he didn't enjoy his cake (or his party, really). I also didn't get to chat much with anyone 'til the end of the night because I was walking him around. He was a momma's boy, which is okay by me (for now). :)Unforutnately, we couldn't give Bean much attention either since Daddy was grilling and I was consoling Caleb. I think our guests picked up on his need for love, though. That night after the party, he decided to come and snuggle us in bed and told us basically that he had missed us all day. He was so cute that we couldn't say no, especially with my surgery the next day.People were starting to leave, so we knew it was time to keep the party moving and started opening gifts with Caleb.He got some very cute books...and toys......money for college and more!When the party crowd had died down, Caleb actually started enjoying himself. Some of the aunts & uncles took the kids across the street to the playground, which I know Bean loved. Our life group friends with their little ones stayed and we sat in a circle and chatted while Caleb played and played and played. Soon everyone parted ways and we cleaned up outside and inside and prepared for the next day. Caleb stayed up until almost midnight - his second wind carried him way past his bedtime, and he refused to lay down. Then Joshua came into our room about an hour after Caleb finally passed out. So, we got no sleep that night, but I'm not sure how much I would have gotten anyway the night before my surgery. I love my boys. Happy 1st birthday, Caleb Luke!