We're back!

Did you miss these two kids?
Well, we've been pretty.....sick! (Thought I'd say busy?) Grady got pneumonia. It was really bad. He was treated for it and 2 weeks later came down with a high fever again. We went back to the doctor and he STILL had it! He couldn't keep the steroids down, but he actually seemed to enjoy the breathing treatments. Is this not the saddest picture you've ever seen?


During our time of pneumonia, I also had strep and Ainsley had a virus. We also celebrated Clint's 31st birthday and our 9th wedding anniversary! So, my parents came up one weekend to watch the kids and let us go out on a much needed date. Yeah!!! We went to Crabby's which was absolutely fantastic! I always thought it was seafood because of the name, but they specialize in their steaks. I had lamb chops, roasted grape tomatoes, saute`d spinach, and gnocchi and Clint had a blue cheese encrusted KC strip with grilled asparagus and horseradish mashed potatoes. (I make these potatoes all the time now!) The next day, my mom helped me keep Grady content while I gave him his first haircut. Before....

And After....
He looks SO much better. I may be weird, but I don't really have any sentimental attachment to the first haircut. I mean, I kept his hair, but it didn't make me sad to cut it. I love to cut hair, though. :) He looks like such a big boy now, and those baby blues really stand out!

We've also had some CRAZY weather in the Ozarks. We, very literally, go from 70 degree weather to snow in one weekend. We've had a few snowfalls this year, but Ainsley has had a fever for every one and has not been able to play outside. So, we let her build a snowman this time...

And back to 70 degree weather! This was on St. Patrick's Day. It was in the 70's so we went to the park for Grady's first swing. He loves his sister so much!

Last year on St. Patrick's Day, I was at my baby shower. This year has gone by SO fast. Haircuts may not make me sad, but my babies growing up REALLY makes me sad. Please stop growing!!!

Check out the picture above. My kids have completely different skin tones. Grady has a very olive-y tone. It looks yellow when he gets next to Ainsley's peachy skin.

We were seriously sick for about 6 weeks. So as soon as everyone started feeling better, we locked the doors, boarded up the windows, and started planning our vacation! I felt bad for not going to church the day before we left, but I just knew I'd be coming home with a sick kid if I did.

We went to Kansas City for Spring Break for a little time away. It was a lot of fun and easy on the wallet! The kids were fantastic! Slept well, ate well....we just had a really good time. We went to the T-Rex cafe, Crown Center, Children's Edutainment Center at Paradise Fun Park, Union Station, Fritz's Railroad Restaurant, Bass Pro, had some KC barbeque and lots of ice cream, and swimming at the hotel. Ainsley still cries now and then because she wants to go back to our "new house". :) She loved the hotel! I didn't upload any pictures on here because it took me so long to upload them all to Flickr, but you can check them out there.

Whew! What a relief! Getting caught up on blogger is like getting caught up on laundry. It's one of those things that just piles up and makes you feel anxious. Come on, you all know what I'm talking about!

Oh, one last thing. With the economy the way it is and all the recent lay-offs, Wal-Mart's bonus was a little uncertain this year, but it finally happened! We bought each other an annniversary gift. Clint got a new TV and I got a new console...

Furniture shopping is definitely a weakness of mine! You can also see my new wicker toy trunk in front of the fireplace. I got a great deal on this and it holds ALL of the baby toys in the living room....plus serves as a good fireplace barrier.

Well, I'd love to catch you all up on the kids as well, but Grady has a high fever that won't break and I think I'm going to have to put that sweet boy in bed with me tonight. Oh, darn! :)