Playing with Alligators

Last Monday Tom had the day off for Martin Luther King Jr. day. What a fun day it was!

We went to Brazo's Bend Alligator Park. It was a warm day but a little over cast so unfortunately we didn't get to see many alligator's. Actually, we only saw one and a face out in the park but they had baby alligators inside at the visitors center.

It was fun to see the baby's but Cole wouldn't have any thing to do with these baby alligators once they were out from behind the glass. Avery was a bit more brave and touched the alligator on he head.

Out on a stroll

I spy with my little eye

Fun on the play ground

We'll be back alligators! Just you wait!

Houston, Texas- January 21, 2010~ 79 degrees

Scary Story

I have to share this freaky story! (Sorry, another long story. I'm just full of them these days!)

A couple of weeks ago at around 10:00 pm I was sitting on the couch reading and Tom was in the shower when I hear a helicopter. It sounded like it was low enough that it could have landed on our roof. Then I could see bright lights coming in through my back window. Curious, I got up to see what was going on. I opened the back door to find my back yard lit up like daylight. Then I hear a loud pounding on my front door! *gasp*...my heart stopped, what the heck was going on!

As I walked to the front door I yelled out Tom's name, who was still in the shower, hoping he would some how here me. As I got closer to the door I could see flashlights shining through the window's on both sides of the door. Ahh...!

I wasn't just going to open the door for some stranger so I looked through one of the window's trying to see if I could see who it was. I don't know what I was looking for all I knew was I was freaked out!

The next thing I here is a man's voice calling out, "It's the police!" I opened the door to find an officer standing there and he asks me if I had set off the panic alarm. "Uh..no!" Then another officer came from the side of the house saying he didn't think they had the right house. I gave them our house address and the first cop said, "nope, wrong house, sorry."

Now I'm panicked!! What in the world! Where they looking for someone?

They got back in their car and were there for a little while longer along with a few other cop cars. Eventually they all left and we could no longer hear the helicopter.

What a night! Tom had to help calm my nerves so I could actually go to sleep.

The next morning I went to my computer to send an email. When I woke my computer up Solitaire was on the screen!? That was weird because I know I didn't play the night before and the kids where in bed so I thought that maybe Tom had played before he went to work that morning. I sent him an email asking. His response was he hadn't even touched my computer and asked if I thought somebody broke into our house and played Solitaire? "Why would they do that?" "I Don't know? Maybe they were hiding out and got board so played some games."

Tom gets a good laugh from that and I know it sounds ridiculous but I was a little scared. The sweet husband he is he came home and checked all of the rooms. The house was clear.

A couple days after this whole event Tom was talking to the next door neighbor and found out he had accidentally set off the alarm. Oops!

Mr. Sickly

Wednesday night, December 30th Cole started getting sick.

We were going to go over to Mana and Annette's for New Years Eve but Cole was doing worse.

By Saturday, January 2nd we were really starting to worry. He was having a hard time breathing, he was very congested, was running a fever of 101. He hadn't been eating or drinking much and his diapers were a lot more dry than his normal diapers. He was very fatigue and very irritable.

We started thinking he was getting dehydrated. I googled symptoms of toddler dehydration and he was showing a lot of those symptoms. So late that Saturday night we decided we should take him to the ER. I called our GREAT friend Jacqui and had her come stay with Avery since she was already in bed.

It just so happens that once Jacqui got to our house Cole started drinking and eating some oranges. So then we thought maybe he was doing ok and it was just us being paranoid parents. We decided to wait and see how he was in the morning.

Sunday morning he wasn't doing any better so we called Jacqui and had her come back over to stay with Avery while we took Cole to an emergency care clinic.

At the clinic we found out that he didn't have strep or the flu but he had double ear infections and his O2 reading was really low. They gave him a breathing treatment to see if it would help it go up but in fact it went down. The Dr. recommended we take him to the ER because they were not equipped to see why his oxygen was that low.

We went to St. John's down the street and were there for quite awhile. They did some more breathing treatments and they also did a chest X-ray. Still no answers. The Dr. thought it would be best for Cole to be transferred to Clear Lake Hospital were CL actually had PICU and they did not. To transfer him they had to give him an IV and he was taken by ambulance.

I went with Cole in the ambulance while Tom followed behind in our car. Cole was very brave in the ambulance. He didn't seem scared at all. That's our tough little guy!

Once we got to CL emergency it had already been a long day! Cole WAS NOT happy and his ears were really hurting him! He would kick and scream and would not let any one near him not even me or Tom. It was so hard. The Dr. got him some ear drops to help with the pain and that settled him down with a little help of Motrin. Around 10:00 Mana came and helped Tom give Cole a blessing. Thanks Mana!

By the time we got a room and settled in it was about 3:00 am. We started at about 1:15 pm! We were all so exhausted! We were in a semi private room so there was only one bed so I stayed with Cole that first night.

Long story short, haha too late, we found out that he had pneumonia, bronchialitis and of course his double ear infections. Poor guy!

Monday, January 4th was Tom's 30th birthday and lucky for him he got to spend it in the hospital with his wife and son! He did go and get Outback and brought it back to the hospital but by the time we got to eat it was cold.
Happy Birthday Old Man! Sorry you had to spend it in the hospital.

Cole was discharged on Tuesday! Thanks to his pediatrician we weren't there longer.

We had to give him breathing treatments and an anti biotic at home.

He had a follow up appointment with his pediatrician the following day. We took Avery along because she started getting sick and we wanted to make sure it wasn't anything Cole had. She ended up having an ear infection and the rest basically just a cold. Cole was doing better. Not great but better.

Weeks later he is now doing great!

Thank you again Jacqui for watching Avery!

Poor Cole was not feeling well!



Tom trying to get Cole to laugh during one of his breathing treatments




So sad! Breaks my heart!



Into the ambulance!



At CL hospital waiting

2009.....2010!

2010! Wow we made it! Another year come and gone.

We had a good year. Not too eventful but good.

Looking over the year:

*I had two brothers get married.
*Cole turned 2.
*We moved, yet again.
*Tom did his first triathlon.
*I ran my first 5k
*Tom and I got scuba certified.
*Avery turned 1.
*I turned 30.
and
*We had our 10 year anniversary.
What a great year!

~~~~~

My New Years resolution for 2010 is to be a better mom by spending more quality time with my kids. To do that I had to start with the one thing that took a lot of my attention and that was facebook. I always knew it was a time waster for me and I always had the thought in the back of my mind that I should close it but "it's just too hard. I don't want to miss out on anything in my friends lives and I have to keep beating my scores on all of the games I play" all while my kids wanted me to read to them or play with blocks or they just wanted to be held. Heaven forbid if they ever got their little head in front of the screen while I was having a great game at bejewled.

I finally came to the decision, for myself, that it is what I needed to do. I was more interested in what was going on in my friends lives than I was in my own kids lives. Cole and Avery needed their mom.

So....I DID IT! It took me a couple weeks because things came up but I did it, I closed my facebook account! It really hasn't been too bad. Sure I think about it every now and then but it has been worth it. I have already become more patient and nurturing and I am also keeping our home more organized. Tom is really loving that! :)

I know there are other area's in my life that still need work but with the biggest vise out of the way the other thing's will be easier to accomplish.

Happy 2010!!

10 Wonderful Years!

December 27th was our 10 year anniversary!

Can you believe it, 10 years! I can't!

These past 10 years have honestly been the best 10 years of my life! I married my best friend and have never looked back.

I love the beautiful life we have created together. I love the children we have made together. I love the trials we have gone threw and conquered together. I love the love we share, the openness and honesty we have. I love the understanding, patience and admiration we have for one another. I love him!

They say, ''the first year of marriage is the hardest! If you can make it through that first year the rest of your marriage it will be easy.'' But then I have also heard that about the first 7 and the first 10 years. Really, it has never been that hard. I'm not saying our marriage is perfect, because it's not, but we know how to work together to make it work. We just fit.

Here's to the next 50 years! Cheers!

I love you Thomas Michael Booth!

Merry Belated Christmas!

WARNING- a lot of pictures and even more video's ahead. Video's are mainly for the benefit of the grandparents so I won't feel bad if you don't want to watch ALL, or any, of them. In fact I won't even know so you can do what ever you want.

~~~~~

This was the first Christmas that we weren't with family so it was a little different. Different but it was actually nice, not that it wouldn't have been nice with family, but that we were able to spend it with our own little family.

Christmas morning was full of excitement. This was also the first year Cole actually had fun opening his gifts to see what was underneath the paper. Avery not so much. She got pretty board opening her presents. She'd get half way done with one and toss it aside waiting for the next. Hopefully her year will be next year!

Kids enjoying Christmas!




Cole got Buzz Light Year from Santa. He was so excited! As excited as he was, I have never seen a more patient little boy as his papa took the toy out of the packaging. After Buzz was freed, Cole put him on his new remote control car like RC in the movie. Cute! Cute!



After the tornado!

~~~~

Christmas night we had dinner with Mana, Annette and their boys.

Since we were unable to be home we kept one of the family traditions we have with Tom's family, we ate Sukiyaki for our Christmas dinner. Tom did an excellent job on cooking with help from Mana. It was delicious!

The rest of the night was spent enjoying each others company.

What a Merry Christmas!!

Built up excitement!

Opening presents from G-ma & pa Child

Opening presents from G-ma & pa Booth

Opening presents from Gammy & Gampy Greenhalgh

Buzz!