Go Texan Day

What else can I say but Yeehaw?!? Johnny won a prize for being one of the best dressed cowboys at school! He was just telling me last night that he hoped he'd win today because he'd never won a contest before.

Sheriff Johnny and the Outlaw Bandit with his waffle drawn
This waffle's loaded ... with blueberriesHowdy padner
My best imitation of a TexanShowing off my vest fringe

Trying Out My Even Newer Lens!

The bad news is Johnny is pitifully sick and has been absolutely miserable for nearly a week. He started running a fever on Sunday late morning and his temperature has been between 103 and over 104 every day since then (that's six days). His fever comes down for a while after I give him Ibuprofen, but goes right back up again. I've taken him to the doctor twice this week and have called in several times just to be sure this isn't something worse than the flu (he tested positive for the flu virus on Tuesday). Johnny woke up with dried blood crusted all around his lips yesterday morning (not from chapped lips, the blood wiped right off and his lips are not dry). I thought this warranted a second trip to the doctor, but his lungs sounded fine. This morning he woke up with big puffy eyes (they started swelling yesterday afternoon). So I called the doctor again and found out this is a normal reaction to having a high fever for so long. The doctor's expert advice is to wait it out unless I hear him laboring to breathe or any other lung related symptoms. His lungs are fine ... he's just a total wreck from the flu. Johnny told me this is the worst he's ever felt in his entire life. I believe him. Poor honey. So far, no one else has gotten sick. I had a fever for two days around the weekend, but wasn't laid out. I've been sick for so long with a respiratory thing that I figured it was from that. God willing, none of the rest of us will get laid out like Johnny has. We're doing all we can and praying for his health to return.

Leaves in our treesOur weeds have never looked so beautiful!

On a happier note, my wonderfully gifted at "gift-giving" husband got me a new telephoto lens for Valentine's Day, so now I'm set up with a full compliment of photography basics. I really need to take the time to use all this neat stuff, but for today, I just took a handful of photos out back to get a general idea of what this new lens can do.

Trying Out My New Lens

Sammy's standard toothy smile!

I got a new lens for my birthday which is made for taking portraits. I haven't exactly figured out how to use it yet, but one of these days I'll find the time to sit down and read some instructions.

I'll leave you with a funny story about Sammy from last week. Sammy has been going through a phase of denial ... if you ask him to wash his hands after coming home from the playground, he'll say "I didn't touch anything." Yeah, right. LOL! So last week was the best denial ever. He wasn't settling down for his daily nap, which sometimes happens if he has pooped. I went up to check on him after listening to him reading stories in his room for awhile and had this hilarious exchange:

Me: Sammy, you pooped! Please tell me when you poop so I can change your diaper. (He usually tells me immediately)
Sammy: No, I didn't.
Me: Yes, honey, I can tell you pooped, I can smell it.
Sammy: No, I didn't poop.
Me: Sammy, you pooped, there is poop in your diaper.
Sammy: It's not mine!

At this point I burst out laughing! I'm sure he'll love hearing this story when he's a teenager. LOL!

Sammy and Johnny in 2008

A rare sunny day after school latelyThey are creative, if not ridiculous.
Here they are donning their "astronaut helmets."
Luckily they are using Sammy's briefs which he really isn't wearing yet.
A very typical toothy Sammy smile
Johnny glued 100 words to a T-shirtMarching in a paradeAgain with the silliness - here they are RobotsPainting a ceramic puppy at a birthday partyand a ceramic airplane
Johnny and Sammy both adore the big Clifford dog
A typical morning walking Johnny to school
Johnny's been riding his bike to school.
It's the only one at the bike rack with training wheels.

I lost my Blogspot notifier and was completely severed from the blogging world until last night when I took the time to figure out how to get it back. I've been amazingly busy working on the yearbook for Johnny's school and haven't had time for much else. It's been a fun project, but very time consuming. Here are some photos of the boys from this year. My how they've grown!

Recent news includes Sammy graduating from speech therapy. His speech, language and understanding are now at or above average. Sammy has come a long way in the last year since he gained normal hearing. We are very proud!

Johnny continues to love school and adore his teacher (as do I). He received excellent marks in all areas this last report card ... with one exception, being disciplined to get his work done on time in class. He has always been a social butterfly and needs to work on staying on task. I'm taking it seriously, but seeing as he is one of the youngest in his class, I'm sure his maturity will catch up with age.

Both boys are going through a growth spurt and have sprouted up in height in the last month about the same amount of growth as they did in the previous 3 months combined. It's exciting, but I can't keep up with the long pants and long sleeved shirts. It's easier when they have growth spurts in warm weather when sleeve and pant length isn't such a factor. I'll be glad when we don't have to bundle up like Eskimos to walk to school. Many days it has been near freezing on our walk. Luckily, it's only about a 10 minute walk. We actually drove for the first few times this school year a couple of weeks ago when I was so sick that the 20 minute walk in 34 degree weather was more than I could handle. I'm sure it will warm up soon, and we'll be thinking back longingly on cooler days. Sammy needs to be potty trained by the fall, so we'll have that to tackle. That should be easier once he can go without having to have long pants on all the time.

That's all the news for now. I'll try to keep up more than I have lately. :)