Our Little Corner of the World

We have had a week that has run the spectrum from a very nice birthday dinner with Tony on Tuesday night- complete with a surprise visit from Nana and Pop. Harper and Jack were excited to give their dad his presents and to show the cards they signed for him.

The kids had a great time eating dinner and playing- they especially liked Tony's cake. Happy birthday, Tony Collett!!

The kids also really enjoyed getting to play outside on Wednesday. Durinda said they played outside close to two hours, and then when I got home we went outside and played again until dinner. Jack figured out how to ride his jeep down the short incline in the sidewalk- Harper was quick to follow suit and they both had a great time giggling and taking turns riding.

Our week was interrupted when Harper started getting sick- runny nose, cough, irritability (from the runny nose and cough). After being up in the middle of the night for a breathing treatment two nights in a row, Tony took Harper to the doctor on Friday. He said that she did a great job and even sat in a chair all by herself while the doctor gave her a check up. We were told she had post-nasal drip, her lungs looked good, and to keep an eye on her while the virus ran its course.

Saturday morning we woke up to a girl that coughed pretty much non-stop. I wanted to wait and see if Harper would get better on her own, but Tony was insistent that she go to back to the doctor. So, he loaded her up after lunch and they went back to the doctor for the second time in 24 hours. This time, the prognosis was different: her lungs sounded crackly. Harper got an antibiotic and a steroid, did a breathing treatment, and was diagnosed with asthma.

I am so thankful that Tony didn't listen to me and decided to take Harper to the doctor anyway. He has been her biggest advocate since day 1, and she is lucky to have a daddy who cares so much about her.

By Saturday afternoon, Harper felt much better...but Jack started getting a runny nose. You know how it goes- we share everything around here.

Thankfully, Nana came over to hang out on Saturday and watch the kids so Tony and I could go to dinner. This visit from Nana was much appreciated, especially since our air conditioner went out on Friday night and after finding out the air conditioner won't get looked at until Monday, then having Harper's doctor visit turn out worse than we hoped, and Jack getting sick, Nana's arrival was a godsend. She also brought over the "car bed"- Tanner's old toddler bed that cousin Wyatt also used and now Jack will get to use.  Jack had fun playing with the bed tires (yes, it has tires and the headlights come on too!)

Sunday was a much better day. Harper and Jack both felt better this morning, enjoyed some pancakes and spent the morning playing, reading books, and building towers. Harper and I took Abby for a walk- just the girls. Harper looked for flowers while we walked and sang little songs- it was lots of fun. Harper also rocked her sunglasses :)

The weather was so nice that when we got back from our walk, we convinced Jack and Tony to play in the backyard for awhile. Jack played golf while Harper tried her hand at bowling, then both kids climbed into the wagon and asked me to pull them around the yard while Tony made train noises.

Abby had the best time in the yard. That dog loves to be outside in the warm weather and she loves it when we're all outside together- her whole pack in one place. She even let the kids and I brush her and she stood still and wagged her tail- I'm sure it felt good to get some of that extra hair off of her.

She spent most of the time traipsing through the yard and hiding in "the jungle". Please excuse the over grown flowerbed, but here's a great shot of our happy Abby girl- I love to see her smile.

We rounded out our evening playing inside and getting things ready for the week. Tony wen tot grab us a pizza and I was making blueberry muffins for this weeks breakfast when I looked up and saw this:

Moments like these are what helps me get through the tantrums and the frustration of two-year olds (by the way, seconds after snapping this picture they were fighting- lol).

Some funny moments of the week:

After watching a home improvement commercial this afternoon, Harper decided to "paint" her daddy. She told me she painted him yellow.

Jack put this toy bin on his head and walked around the house saying this was his "helmet";

Jack also figured out how to create his own "train"

That's all for this week. I'm going to end with pictures of these two toddlers who are growing like weeds- check out the ponytail on H! I hope these two sleep well tonight and we have a fun week around the corner.