Brayden Bear

Our little guy has been sick this whole week. Sunday night he started with a fever. I took him to the doctor on Monday thinking maybe he had a left over ear infection from a couple of weeks ago, but his ears were clear and the strep test came back normal. The doctor said it was viral and he should be over it in a couple of days. However, his fever has continued throughout this week, up and down, up and down. He also get really congested and the cold went into his right eye, so it is all red and watery. I decided to take him back to the doctor today just to double check him and sure enough he has a double ear infection and will go back on antibiotics. She also gave us some eye drops to help with the redness of the eye.

He has his up and down moments. He will have a burst of energy for an hour or two and then crash. Even as I type this he has fallen asleep on the couch and is snoring away. I feel so bad he is so stuffy.
Thankfully he took his first dose of medicine tonight and we should be on the road to recovery.

I'm Back...

I guess you probably were wondering if I would ever update my blog again. It has been almost a month since my last update and a lot has gone on since then. So here is a recap...

Christmas weekend was a little different for us. Jason was sick with a viral cold that went into his eyes and he wasn't able to be a part of any of our services at church during the Christmas weekend. We had Brayden stay home with Daddy, so Sarah and I felt a little lonesome at church without our 2 guys.

With Christmas being on a Sunday and since we had church that morning we decided to celebrate our Christmas morning on Christmas Eve. In the midst of our opening presents Jason had a doctors appointment to check out his eyes, you can tell in his eyes below. We let the kids open their presents and then when Jason got home he and I opened ours. Both Sarah and Brayden got what they wished for. Sarah a Kindle and Brayden a Spiderman shooter.

Oh, by the way, baby Jesus did appear in his manager on Christmas Day in our Advent calendar. He was a bit different from the original but what he represented was the most important thing. Thanks to MeMe for supplying him. He was actually a porcelian little baby doll that my Grandmother had made.

Sunday afternoon, Christmas Day, we drove to Maryland (4 hours) to Jason's sister's home where we celebrated Christmas with the whole James family. We learned that night that John & Susie were pregnant and we would be having a new niece/nephew at the end of July. In October Kyle & Christy told us they were pregnant as well. Two new James babies this year. We can't wait to meet them.

We enjoyed an afternoon at the Gaylord Hotel in Washington, DC while were there. They have a Christmas show along with an ICE show. Sarah and I got to go ice skating while the other little cousins got to ride a train.

We headed home from Maryland on Wednesday and Brayden and I had both come down with Jason's cold. We were both put on antibiotics and a week later were feeling much better. In the meantime my laptop had stopped working, so it had to be taken to the shop and repaired. Ugh! Thankfully they could repair it and it came back practically brand new.

The next couple weeks were spent catching back up on things from Christmas, being sick and getting back into the routine of school and church activities.

Well, that is a short story of our Christmas and the first couple weeks in January. 

I promise to post again sooner than a month from now. Thanks for checking on me. 

Living Nativity

Sarah received a second acting part this Christmas season. She was asked to be a part of a Living Nativity and play the part of Gabriel the angel who spoke to Mary announcing that she was with child.

A family from our church puts on the Nativity as an outreach. It was our second year to attend. Last year it was a highlight for me and I loved it again this year. It reminds you of who this time of year is all about. It was exciting because the number of people who attended tripled from last year.

We journeyed with Mary and Joseph on their way to Bethlehem and enjoyed the Christmas Story and sang Christmas Songs along the way. Afterwards we enjoyed Christmas cookies and hot chocolate. Everything is outside, so we had to dress nice and warm. It was a fun night.

Below is a video of Sarah's part.

Christmas with PaPa & MeMe

I know it has been a couple of weeks since I lasted posted something. Things have been busy around here and at night when I usually send my posts sleep won over sitting down at my computer. However, all the shopping is done, packages are wrapped and under the tree, Christmas parties have been attended, musical and nativity parts have been played, cookies have been decorated and I have time to post again.

First things first...

We had a great time with my parents and enjoyed celebrating Christmas with them a little early. They arrived on Friday (12/2). Saturday they babysat the kids for the afternoon/evening while Jason and I did some Christmas shopping, it was a treat for all of us. Sunday was church and Brayden and Sarah's Christmas Musical. Monday we celebrated Christmas. Brayden wanted to stay in his Spiderman PJs all day. He had so much fun opening the presents.

Sarah got a nail kit including a nail dryer, a Vera Bradley duffel bag, a Justice sparkly outfit, a bible ornament, a feather hair clip, an Owl Swaroski and a pair of Little MisMatch knee high socks.

Brayden got a Butterfly garden and a Dr. Seuss book to go along with it, I Spy bingo game, a Puzzle magazine subscription, Star Wars Character cards, Crocs, Etch-A-Sketch and an iPad ornament.

Tuesday and Wednesday Dad & Mom went to visit Grandma Prather in Boston. They arrived back to our house Wednesday evening and we enjoyed the last few hours with them before they left early on Thursday morning.

Zumba...

I took my first Zumba class yesterday at the gym that I go to. You think you have rhythm until you take a Zumba class and then you say to yourself "No, I really don't have rhythm". LOL! I was giggling on the inside the entire hour. For those of you who haven't heard of Zumba it is Latin-inspired fitness class with lots of Latin dance moves. The teacher said "In this class there are no inhibitions", which made me feel better so I did my best and let it go. No worries about the ladies around me, everyone was so focused on watching the teacher. I think as you get to know the routine it gets easier and you get more of a workout because your not so focused on doing the right hands and feet. It was fun and I would love to do it again sometime with a friend. Anyone want to join me?

Last week I tried my first spin class. I was so nervous thinking my legs would fall off afterwards, but I survived with my legs still intact. It was tough, but I will definitely do it again.

I still love my running, but with the colder months I am not fond of running outside so for this season I will be enjoying the RealFit Studios, which is just 2 minutes from my house. I help with childcare for 2 hours on Monday mornings and get my entire membership for free. It is great!

So Much To Be Thankful For...

Even though we are two days into December I could let November go without sharing the results of our Thankful Tree and all that we said we were thankful for. From serious stuff to fun stuff, we found we are truly a blessed family in so many ways.

God's grace and mercy, doughnuts, paper and pencil (Claire), Broncos & Jets game, Star Wars, iPod games, God, Justice & P.S clothes, the Live Nativity, Arthur Christmas movie, The Pioneer Woman and her food, My Room, food and water, Our home, playing games, Friends, Bop It, great books, Daddy & Mommy, Girl Scout cookies, jobs, sports, a great church, my friend Lisa's last chemotherapy treatment, library, Pogo stick and Daisy (Claire), JBQ, TVs, airplanes (Grace), Aunts and Uncles, health, Macy's Day Parade, dessert/candy, movies, Missionaries, my Friends/Family and Church (Cayla), RealFit Gym, football, Family Game Night, iPhones, school, fresh water, Co-Co-Nutties, playgrounds, golf with Friends, family dinners, Christmas, pillows & blankets, freedom, The Muppets Movie, games to play outside, Cousins (including the one to arrive in May to the Reise family), dinosaurs, sports class, Wii, pizza & pasta, peanuts (not Sarah), baseball, Spring & Summer, Nite-Lites, computers, Grandparents, breakfast, Bible, day and night, Jesus died on the cross for our sins.

We are especially thankful for PaPa & MeMe who arrived this afternoon to spend a couple of days with us and celebrate the Christmas season.

Looking for Baby Jesus...

Last year at Christmas time we lost the Baby Jesus that went with our Advent calendar. We don't know at what point he went missing, but he wasn't there for Christmas morning. We searched throughout the entire house, as well as through the Christmas decorations once we cleaned everything up.

Once again this year as I pulled out the calendar I went through all the decoration boxes to see if I could find him, but to no avail he has not been found. Every couple days Brayden will say "Did we find Baby Jesus yet?" Last night Sarah said "Mom! I found Baby Jesus!" She was just joking. Not a funny joke. Why couldn't we have lost a sheep or an angel? We had to lose the main character of the Advent season?

We love our Advent calendar. My mom got it for Sarah when she was little, so it has become one of our favorite decorations. I hate to have to replace it, so I have begun a search for another Baby Jesus to fill that spot. I figured I would check craft stores, Target, any place that might have a Baby Jesus ornament or something like it.

I am putting out a request to any of you who would be willing to help us look for a Baby Jesus. If you happen to see something in your shopping that might be a good replacement let me know. The spot he needs to fit in is 2"x2".

We can use all the help we can get so that Baby Jesus can go in his manager on Christmas morning. His mother Mary and the Angels are all praying we do.