Potty Training and more....

Well, it has been a while since my last entry. Since then we got a new camera. I absolutely love it. It is fast and takes great pictures. I will post some very soon. (I promise). We are all doing well. (Well sort of....I am sick with a cold as I write this, and so is Jeff...but the boys are well). Since the last post, Drew has had a bout with acid reflux. He was getting up every night around 2 am throwing up. We finally put him on baby Prevacid and he is doing well. We have had no more issues since then. I am praying that he grows out of this, because I really don't want to have him on this long term. Drew is talking more and more. He absolutely loves his big brother and trys to do everything Matt does. This sometimes doesn't work out so well, but it is very sweet.

As for Matt....well the big news is the potty training. We did a 3-day potty training method. It took a week...not three days, and he still has trouble at school, but yesterday was our first day of no accidents. He told us every time he had to go. We even went to a birthday party and he still stayed accident free. I am so proud of him. He amazingly never has had any nighttime accidents. He even work up one morning at 5:30 am and we took him to the potty and he went right back to sleep. He didn't do too well at school the one day he went last week, but that is different. That might take a bit longer, but we are now on the second day of no accidents. I feel like one of those factories that have those signs..."We've been accident free for 2 days." I am just so proud of him. He is such a big boy now. He is talking more and more and has long conversations with you. He can be so sweet to Drew one moment, giving him hugs and kisses, and then the next moment he body slams him. Gotta love brothers. Also, Matthew got his school pictures done. You can view them by going to www.images4kids.com (Access code: 7MU3-02 Password: 022535 and you can leave the email field blank). We are doing the ordering, but I thought some of you might want to get a sneak peek. They are crazy cute!!

As for Jeff and me, we are doing well. (other than being sick). Jeff enjoys his job and I enjoy mine....most of the time. The potty training was a bit hard on me...staying home for a week working on the training. I got a bit stir crazy. But things are getting a bit more normal now that Matt is really getting the hang of this potty business. We have a bunch of stuff coming up...my parents' birthday this Wednesday, Thanksgiving next week, and going to Arkansas soon after that. I still can't believe the holidays are upon us. Crazy how time flies. I promise to get some pics up on the website, on facebook, and on snapfish very soon. Praying you are all doing well.

Love from Frisco!

Fevers, fevers, go away.....

Well, overall we are doing well. However, my kids have been sick for the past couple of days. Last night was the first night in a couple that they both slept through the night...and therefore the first night that I slept through the night. They both have been running fevers, so I took them to the doctor on Monday. I wasn't too worried about the fevers, but Matt threw up on Sunday night. My fear was H1N1. I was happy to hear that neither of my boys tested positive for flu or strep. However, it seems they both have Hand, foot, and mouth disease. Horrible name...isn't it!! It is not the same as Hoof and Mouth that cows get, for those of you who don't know...but is appearently a common childhood virus. Drew has actually had it before. It just leaves sores by their hands, feet, and in their mouths. (Hence the name Hand, Foot, and Mouth disease). Matt has none of the sores, so I think he might just have another kind of virus, but Drew has them. :-( They both have been a bit cranky and have had diminished appetites. The doctor says that it should resolve itself in about a week or so. Until then, keep us in your prayers as I have to keep Matt home from school and I can't go to my bible study since they can't go into childcare. Pray for healing, and patience on my part.

As for other goings on...Matt is doing well and is starting to talk up a storm. He seems to think that he is in charge of Drew. He tells him no a lot and has even spanked him on occation. My favorite was when he spanked Drew (barely a tap on the bottom) and said "No Drew, hurt yourself" Gotta love my little helper. The sibling thing can work to my advantage when it comes to Matt. If he won't do what I want him to, I will just ask Drew and then Matt is first to comply. He is doing great in school and loves to go there. In fact when I drop him off he walks right in and barely says goodbye to me. He is however, always happy to see me when I pick him up.

Drew is doing well. He is talking a lot as well. He loves to wave goodbye and is going to be my little troublemaker. It is fun to see his little personality coming out. He is my daredevil. He has had a black eye, a bloody head, and several more bumps in this week alone. He is full on drama. He will cry like he is seriously hurt for even the smallest bump, but then be right back to getting into trouble the next minute. He loves to screech when his brother takes a toy from him (if Matt can actually successfully pry it from Drew's hands---the kid is strong!!). He is also the sweetest, and loves to give hugs and currently thinks his Daddy hung the moon. (My sister tells me they go back and forth on this one between Mommy and Daddy...which is true).

As for me, I am keeping busy...bible study on Wednesdays and I just joined a MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group every other Friday. They both have been huge blessings to me. Jeff is also doing well, staying busy with work. We pray that you all are doing well. Much love from Frisco.

Matthew's first day of school/Drew's 15 month checkup

Well, the first day of school went off without a hitch. Matt was a bit nervous when we first got there, but his teacher Ms. Suzy totally calmed his nerves. She came up to him and asked him for a hug, and he was totally fine after that. He never cried. I teared up, but didn't actually cry. He just sat down, and said bye to us, with no problems at all. God really gave us the perfect teachers for Matt! When I picked him up, they said he had a great day. He played a lot with 3 other boys. Appearently, they had a lot of fun together! I am glad he is making friends. He ate a good amount of his lunch and actually slept at naptime. He was happy when I picked him up and even said his goodbyes to his teachers. I can tell he really likes school. He never cried...well that is until we were walking to the car. He was pretty tired still and he wanted me to hold him. That wasn't really possible since I had Drew on one arm and my purse and his school basket on the other. So I walked about 2 inches a minute to the car with Matt dragging on my legs crying and saying "Mommy hold you" the whole way. Thankfully one great mom helped me get them to the car so that helped a lot! Overall it was a great day.

Today was also Drew's 15 month checkup. He got a good report. We only have to give 2 breathing treatments a day for the next month, really as a preventative measure. He is doing great developmentally. His stats were as follows: weight 21 lb. 14 oz. (15th %) Height 30 inches (20th %) and Head circumference 19 1/2 (95th %). Gotta love my big headed boys. You would never guess he is small for his age. He is amazingly strong and easily keeps up with his older brother.

It was a very good day today for both of my boys. I better get going...I can hear Drew crying for Mommy. Love from Frisco, Texas.

Taking my breath away

Well the past couple days have been very stressful, but have only served to strenghthen my faith in God. Our Drew bear was having difficulty breathing on Monday during the day. He was wheezing and struggling to get his breath. I took him to the doctor and they said he was only recieving 83% oxygen. He should be getting close to 100%, so this was not good. The immediately gave him a breathing treatment of epinephran (sp), which helped a lot. However, they were still very worried about Drew at night, since this is a time when your oxygen levels drop normally. The doctor decided to admit him to the hospital right away. I took the boys up the elevator (the doctor's office is in a hospital, so that was convinient). I was going to get the boys some lunch after we went to the doctor, so poor Matt was very hungry. Drew at that moment, wasn't thinking much about food. My mom did come and bring some food for Matt, and helped out a lot while they got Drew settled. It took them 5 tries to finally get an IV in Drew. They tried 4 painful times unsuccessfully, and then decided he was dehydrated. We got him to drink a little bit, and then they were able to get the IV into his arm. The juice and more than that, a lot of prayer, helped them to get it in the first try this go around. He got breating treatments every 3 hours, and got steriods to help open his airways, and antibiotics for the ear infection he also had. He also had some x-rays and a lot of poking and prodding. He was quite the trooper. I think I cried more than he did. Jeff was a super daddy taking Matt home and taking care of him the next day so that I could stay with Drew. They warned me that he could do poorly during the night, but the many prayers said for my son were answered, and he did great. They released him the next day. There was a mix up on our home nebulizer and it didn't arrive until 6 hours after we got home, so we missed on treatment. Needless to say, I was upset, but Drew is fine, so I will get over it. That stuff about a Mama bear is so true. I am normally very non-confrontaional...however when my kid's health is at stake, I can be rather mean. I probably should have handled it in a more calm manner. Oh well. We are continuing to give Drew treatments every 4 hours, so I am pretty tired, but he is doing great. Please keep him in your prayers. Our God is wonderful and deserves all the credit for Drew's quick recovery. Even the doctor was amazed at how quickly he bounced back. I however wasn't surprised...we serve an awesome God!! Also please pray for my mother-in-law. She is in the hospital because her leg is swelling up. She had a stroke in Aug. of 2006, so she is more vuneralble to problems. Please pray for wisdom for the doctors and healing for her body. Thanks. Love from Frisco!! By the way we want to send some birthday shout outs to Aunt Tania and Aunt Cynthia!!! Have great days!

Ft. Worth Zoo

Well we had a great trip to the Fort Worth Zoo on Thursday. Matthew especially loved the animals and couldn't get enough. It was 3 digit temperatures, but we braved it and had the best time. I hope you enjoy some of the pictures. We are doing well, and pray you all are doing well too. I will update more when I have a chance.

Enjoy.

It is always something....

Well, we are doing pretty well. It seems like our flea problem is coming close to being over. They are few and far in between now, but we still do see them. They are amazing survivors! But you know since this is getting better, something must take its place. Well, we all got sick. (Not Jeff, but the rest of us.) Drew and Matt are getting Nebulizer treatments each day to help them to breathe better and finally last night for the first night in many, both boys slept well through the entire night. We are thankful for that!! The boys seem to be getting somewhat better, but their appetites are not what they usually are on a regular day. I however, feel worse than ever. But this too shall pass!! Tomorrow Matthew get's reevaluated for ECI services. He has been getting speech services for his delayed speech. However, he is doing so well with his talking. He uses 3 and 4 word sentences regularly now. It is amazing to think that just in January he only had about a 10 word vocabulary. I am so proud of him. Drew is pretty much a total walker now. He has figured out how to get up if he falls in the middle of the floor, and walks very fast now. He can't keep up with Matt's running, but he sure tries!! I think Matthew likes that Drew is not totally steady on his feet. He walks up to him and knocks his brother down...for now good reason. However Drew is fighting back...he bit his brother a couple days ago, but Matt got him back by pinning Drew's arm in the toy box. Fun stuff to deal with...brothers. They love each other, they hate each other...and back and forth all day long. I have a feeling that this might be that way forever more. Anyway, that is about all that is going on here right now. Praying you all are doing well.

Love from Frisco.

My big walker

Check out my baby boy walking. So cute!! Enjoy.



Praying you are all doing well.

Movin' right along.....

Well, we are doing well at the Scroggins abode. Drew is beginning to take the steps (no pun intended) to becoming a walker. He has successfully taken about 2 or 3 steps on his own with no help at all. He will walk with you if you hold his hands, but doesn't feel quite confident enough to venture out on his own. He will stand on his own for the longest time and cruise everywhere, but he gets a bit nervous when it comes to making the steps on his own. But I know we are getting there and before I know it, I will have two little ones running around my house. Drew is also quite the talker. He says Mama, Dada, nana (for banana) aqua (for water), brother (for Matt), and will repeat things like bye bye and night night. He is just growing like a weed and can eat his brother under the table.



As for Matthew, he is talking more and more each day. He regularly uses short sentences and his dictation is great. He just yesterday got his mattress (which was on the floor) moved up onto the bed frame. He seems like such a big boy now. He will go down the biggest slide at the playground with no help and climb up the rock wall on his own. He took swim lessons a couple weeks ago and that went well. Well, actually he was freaked out during the lessons. He clung to me like white on rice. However, the Sunday before the lessons he unexpectedly went under the water at my parents pool. This was the first time I had ever seen him nervous around water. The whole week in lessons he was freaked out. However, since then he is doing great in the pool. He will "kick, kick, kick", blow bubbles in the water, and "make pizza" which is just moving your hands in circles in the water. He is having fun in the water again and this makes me happy.



As for our formidable enemy, the fleas. We are doing much better. We haven't won the war yet, but we are certainly winning. We have seen a major drop in their numbers and hopefully soon we will wipe them out entirely. Don't tell PETA. ;-) However, I must say that vacuuming everyday has its pluses and minuses. My carpet looks the best it has ever looked. However, after vacuuming 3600 square feet of carpet...I totally hate vacuuming. As if I didn't hate it enough before. I so want to get rid of our carpet and get wood floors. Well, maybe someday. It is good to have something to look forward to. For now, I would just settle for having no more fleas in my home ever again!!!!!

I have finally gotten around to posting pictures for Drew's party. You will have to scroll down to the blog about his party and view the slideshow. I added a few photos from the PA/DC trip in that blog...so scroll down to check them out. When I have the time and patience I will add more pics from PA. Enjoy. Love from boiling hot Texas.

Drew's First Birthday/Father's Day

Well, things have been busy around here. We have spent most of the last week battling a very crafty foe...fleas. Sadie never had fleas before, so we didn't have her on any preventative measures. Unfortunately for us, since there was no hard freeze, fleas are terrible this year. By the time we noticed that she was itching badly..things had gotten out of control. We got Sadie taken care of with medicine, but then there was the house. We bombed the house 3 separate times. This worked on most of the house....however our bedroom seems to be where the hotbed of activity was going on. We are still trying to rid the room of fleas. I guess since this is where Sadie sleeps, this is where they are the worst. After much research, I have found that the only way to beat these buggers is by breaking the life cycle. You have to basically spray and vacuum everyday for up to 2 weeks. Fun stuff. Meanwhile, Jeff and I are camped out in the guest bedroom.


We were thankful that our efforts worked in the rest of the house...especially since we had Drew's first birthday party on Saturday. We had to postpone his original party date due to my grandmother's funeral. The party was a lot of fun and it was great to celebrate with family and friends. It was a pretty simple and fairly small party that we had at home. We grilled burgers and hot dogs and had an amazing Costco cake!! (pictures coming soon) It was a cowboy party, so we held it at high noon. Our family and friends were so wonderful to come and help us celebrate our sweet little boy and we are so thankful for their generosity.

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

After a lot of cleaning up, we got the house in pretty good order again. We went to my mom and dad's house to celebrate Father's Day. We had a wonderful dinner of surf and turf... great t-bone steak and snow crab...very yummy!! We got my dad and Jeff some World's greatest Dad and Grandpa shirt and hats, as well as some tickets to a FC Dallas soccer game in August. I am so very thankful that God has blessed me with such an amazing father and such a superb dad for my boys. I couldn't ask for any better for either of these great men in my life. We had fun swimming in the pool at my mom and dad's and a great day with family.

Well that is about it for now. We pray you are all doing well. We ask that you could say a special prayer for Jeff's cousin Andy in Arkansas. He has been in the hospital for 4 weeks now and is unable to keep any food down due to some serious problems with his intestines. This is very serious and he needs some prayers. His daughter is only 10 years old and needs her daddy!! Thanks for your prayers! Love from Frisco, Texas.

Drew is one/Trip to Penn/DC

Well our trip up for my grandmother's funeral was a wide range of emotions. We arrived in DC on Thursday and spend the day with my uncle's family and my mom and dad, and sister. It was a nice day and the trip up was totally uneventful. Drew didn't sleep much on Thursday night, but that meant he would sleep in the car up to PA. We headed up for PA late morning on Friday. It was a decent trip. The boys were great the whole way up. We stopped at a Burger King for lunch. That was interesting indeed. Apparently, the person behind the counter was very rude and extremely stingy. It started out with my sister asking for ketchup. He handed her two and would give her no more. Then Jeff asked for a water. He specifically asked if water cost anything. They guys said no, but charged Jeff 10 cents for a courtesy cup. Not much of a courtesy. I guess he wasn't lying since the water itself was free...just not the cup. Jeff asked the wrong question. Then he came to the table and there was no drink with Matthew's happy meal. I sent him back for a juice. The guy proceeded to tell him that he gave him a cup, which he didn't. Jeff brought back the water cup and the guy argued with Jeff that a juice was 44 cents more. Finally the manager gave Jeff the juice, only after the guy behind the counter slammed 10 cents on the counter and threw away Jeff's "courtesy cup." We were certainly happy to leave there. We wanted more ketchup, but were afraid to ask. Needless to say, I didn't give them a glowing review when I called the hot line. ;-) Stay away from Burger King's in Wilmington, DE.

When we arrived in PA, we stopped by to visit my step-grandmother. It was great to see her and the boys had fun. Drew especially loved playing with her cat Bud Lite. It was too cute!!! We headed to the hotel to change and then off to the viewing. It was wonderful to see family that I haven't see in forever!! I have to say Nana didn't look like Nana to me, but then again, she wasn't there...just her body. The boys (Matthew and his cousin Ethan) had a great time running and playing. It was so much fun to watch Matthew play so hard with another kid his own age. It was so cute. They just followed each other everywhere. Matthew really talked so much more around Ethan. He sang parts of Happy Birthday on his own, sang a song from the Backyardigans, and used several 2-3 word phrases. He is also talking a lot of jargon, which Ethan seemed to understand. It was a good night. However, it was another night where Drew didn't sleep much. I have so many bruises on my legs from running into my sister's cot going to get Drew in the middle of the night.

Saturday was a LOOOOOONNNNNNGGGGG day!! We had a great breakfast and then relaxed for a little before the long part of the day began. Tania, Drew and I headed to Nana's funeral...only to get lost once on the way (nice GPS Dad). We arrived a few minutes late, but they waited for us, which was nice. It was a great service and my dad did an amazing job speaking. He talked about his daughters fighting like cats and dogs...I guess he meant some other daughters that he must have...Tania and I have never fought. (I write as I get struck by lightning). ;-) I got to listen to the whole service from another room as I chased Drew all around the funeral home. We then headed to the cemetery. That was brief, but nice. We even got a chance to visit Mom-mom's grave site. That was nice. We then headed to a church for a gathering. It was great to catch up with family, some of which I haven't seen in years and years. (Some that I -apparently- haven't seen since I was a child. I don't really remember). But it was nice. Matthew and Ethan stayed at the hotel with Aunt Liliana to nap...that was a great idea!! Drew napped on his Uncle Ken instead. That evening we ate at the hotel restaurant with Kay, mom, dad, Tania, Ken, Liliana, Ethan, and the boys. I have to say the restaurant was not up to par with the hotel. We were happy to hear that they were not owned by the same people. The food was sub par, the service was less than great, and prices were way too high. They even commented on us bringing our own cake...how the "chef" and I use that term loosely, doesn't allow outside cakes. They were kind enough to make and exception, but couldn't offer us a sharp knife for liability purposes. It is a good thing I didn't order a steak...I couldn't have cut it. ;-) Anyway, other then the not so great place...the company was great and it was wonderful to celebrate Drew's 1st birthday. :-)

Now I always said that I wanted to breastfeed my boys for a year. For Matthew he bit me on his first birthday, and that was the end of it for him. Now Drew, I thought would go longer than one year. However, he breastfed the morning of his birthday. However, that night and from then on....he wants nothing to do with breastfeeding anymore. I guess he weened himself. Jeff seems to think he took the one year deadline very seriously...like a one year old could do that, but hey...who knows. I am just thankful that I did make it to a year.

The next day we ate breakfast, drove back to DC and caught a flight home. Now Drew took a partial nap in the car, but Matt had no nap at all. Jeff and I were sure they would sleep on the plane. Well, they did sleep on the plane, but only for the last minutes of the flight as we were landing. Gotta love it. It was a long flight of keeping both overly tired boys entertained for the 3 hour flight. I was so happy when we landed. Matthew never woke up once he fell asleep. Jeff carried him in his seat to the baggage claim. He kept sleeping as we took him out of the seat so I could install it. Never woke up even when I took him out, changed his diaper and outfit and put him to bed. He was wiped out!!!!

All this to say, we are glad to be home. It was great to see family, to celebrate Nana's life and Drew's birthday, but there really is no place like home. (At least when you are traveling with 2 kids age 1 and 2). We would like to send out a special prayer to friends of ours who recently suffered the loss of their new baby girl, and other friends of ours who lost their baby girl at 22 weeks. Our prayers are with them and their families. Please lift them up in your prayers as well. Love from Texas!!

We made it to DC....

Well, we made it to DC with very little drama. The plane was very empty so we got a whole row on the airplane to ourselves. We got to put both of the boys into their carseats, which was helpful. Since it was a 6:30 am flight, we had to wake the boys up super early. This was helpful to us, since Drew slept the entire flight. Matthew didn't sleep on the plane, but was very good the entire trip. When we arrived it was interesting to go from the plane to the baggage claim with 2 kids, 3 carry-ons, and 2 carseats. Then we got the big bag. We looked rather silly with all the stuff, and we packed light. Gotta love traveling with 2 kids 2 and under. This afternoon Matthew took the longest nap that he has ever taken. The boy was pooped. I am glad that we came to the DC a day early, so we had time to recover. We head up to Pennsylvania tomorrow for the next 2 nights. We have the viewing tomorrow night and the funeral on Saturday. We will also celebrate my baby boy's 1st birthday. He turns 1 on Saturday. It seems like just yesterday that he was born, and now he is 1. Time does fly. Anyway, please be praying for my family as we travel and celebrate my grandmother's wonderful 100 years of life. I feel so blessed to have had her for 35 years. Her influence on me is something that will last me all of my life. She was a remarkable woman and I pray that I am half the wife and mother that she was during her lifetime. Thank you for all of your prayers. Love from Virginia...

Six years and counting

Well, Jeff and I are about to celebrate our six year anniversary on Monday. Hopefully we will get to have a date night to celebrate sometime soon, but for now we are happy to celebrate with family swimming at my parent's pool and tomorrow visiting with Phyllis. We are also busy planning our trip up to DC and Pennsylvania for my grandmother's funeral. It is a bit stressful with all the planning, but God will take care of all the details, so I have to give it to Him. Drew will celebrate his first birthday up in Pennsylvania. I still can't believe that my baby is actually going to be a year old. Just today he picked up a crayon and started coloring everything (furniture included), he likes to cruise everywhere, and he is repeating sounds wonderfully and naming a few things like ball, aqua (for water), Mama, and Dada. He is a sweet boy. Matthew is doing great, talking more and more everyday. He is usually sweet to his brother, but communications can break down quickly between my boys. ;-) Anyway, please pray for our family as we travel to the funeral and help us to give praise to our Lord for welcoming Nana home.

Nana has gone home

Well, this has certainly been a long day. This morning we got the call that my grandmother had gone to be with the Lord. She was 100 years old, and was ready to go home, so this was expected, but still hard to hear. I am thankful for the 35 years that I have gotten to spend with her and thankful for the amazing grandmother that she was to me. I pray that I can be as good of a wife and mother that she was in her lifetime to my husband and boys. We also got the news that Nana's funeral will most likely be on Drew's birthday. So, we were left with the task of postponing his party and preparing for the trip up to Pennsylvania. It is a strange thing to lose 3 grandparents in one year. It has been quite and emotional day, but I guess laying her body to rest on Drew's first birthday is somehow fitting...the end of one life and the beginning of another. Please keep my family in your prayers and rejoice with us that my Nana is now feasting at the banquet table of our Savior, she is no longer an alien in this world, but home where she belongs.

Drew is almost one!!

Well, we are jumping ship from babysites to this new blog. Hopefully the transition will go smoothly. The boys are growing like weeds. Matthew is a good big brother...most of the time. He is a bit jealous...especially now that Drew is so mobile. Matthew is talking in a lot more 2 or more word sentences. Even though he is a bit speech delayed, he is catching up fast and I know before I know it, I will want him to be quiet. Be careful what you wish for and all that. :-) Drew is a fast crawler and cruises on the furniture. He hasn't been too interested in trying the walking thing, but over the last couple of days, he has tried with us holding his hands. He is great at mimicking sounds. I think he will talk before we know it. It helps that he has his big brother to help him. Although Matthew knocks Drew down half the time, Drew worships his big bother. He follows him everywhere!!! It is kind of cute, although it means that I am fast becoming a referee more than anything else. A sweet moment can turn bad quickly. In two short weeks my baby boy will be turning one. I can't believe it. It seems like yesterday that I was telling Jeff that my water broke and we were heading to the hospital. Now, he will be one. What a year it has been too...we moved when Drew was only 2 weeks old, I had to learn to be a mom of 2 kids only 17 months apart, we lost 2 grandparents (great-grandparents to the boys), and I am sure a ton more things. Anyway, we are doing great and I will be sure to post pics from Drew's upcoming birthday. Praying you are all doing well. Love from Frisco. Check out some pictures of our recent visit to a bluebonnet field. 2 out of 4 people in my family are native Texans. :-)