Pics from Nashville

I'm realizing I didn't get to get any full-family shots with daddies included... I think I was planning on doing that but the whole ER situation messed with my camera mojo.

So here is the car ride to Nashville.  Nine hours in the car.  We divided it up and drove to Memphis the first night.  

Hot Sauce drinking and talking on the phone.  

Jax and Emerson enjoying some movie time.  Thank you, Cristin, for loaning your DVD player!

Hot Sauce realizing she does NOT like being in the car that long.

Momma giving up and trying to think of ANYTHING to get her to stop screaming.  She didn't want to watch a movie with J or E, books/toys weren't doing it, so I did what any self-respecting mother would do.  I gave her a marker.  Washable dry erase marker, mind you.  All of her limbs were green by the time we got to Memphis, but SHE WAS QUIET.  

Here are the cousins having a blast together!  My favorite match-up was Addie and Hayden.  Hayden thought she was it, and Addie was quite willing to lead her around.  Such a sweetie.  

Weekend in the ER

Whew.  What a crazy past 5 days it has been.  The five of us left Tuesday night to drive to Mt. Juliet, TN, to see my siblings and families.  We got there Wednesday mid-day, and on Thursday, Hayden woke up from her nap with a 102-degree fever and a yucky cough.  My sister-in-law Liz made an appointment for us at a walk-in clinic in town, and by the time we got there, she had spiked to 104.  The nurse practitioners there diagnosed her with a virus, and I treated her fever for the rest of the day.

The next morning, she woke up sounding like a seal and was wheezing.  I took her back to urgent care, and the NP did a breathing treatment on her.  Rather than respond to it, she actually became lethargic and looked like she felt worse.  The NP suggested I take her straight to an ER, and she recommended Vanderbilt Children's Hospital in downtown Nashville, about 25 minutes away.

I didn't stop back by my brother's house to get my things... I just put her in the car and drove.  I called Jason and told him to stay with Jax and Emerson and I would let him know if I needed him.  When I exited to downtown Nashville, the directions the walk-in clinic gave me weren't matching up with where I was.  I knew I was close, but I was having a hard time finding it.  Suddenly in the backseat, Hayden started wheezing more quickly, and she was starting to panic.  I was driving half-watching the road, half-watching her.  Her little arms and legs began to flail, and I knew it wasn't good.

I've always wondered how I would react if I were faced with a crisis situation with one of my kids, and I'm frustrated to say I kind of melted for a moment.  I think I verbally cried out for God to help me, and my mind was racing with possible scenarios... What if she quit breathing?  Would an ambulance get to me quickly enough?  Would I slam on the brakes and get her out of the car, hoping someone would stop and help me?  All of these thoughts were going through my mind at lightning speed as I pulled up to a stop light and started to press 9-1-1 on my phone. 

I looked to my left and saw a woman in scrubs with her car window halfway down.  I frantically called out to her and told her I was looking for the children's ER and that my baby was having trouble breathing.  And let me tell you right now that the Good Lord takes care of his children.  The words from her mouth were almost unbelievable:  "I'm a pediatric nurse at Vanderbilt... follow me and I'll get you there."  

She and I sped through what seemed like 8-10 blocks of downtown.  As soon as we were close, she motioned for me to pull alongside her, and she pointed to the building.  I quickly thanked her and ran every single stop sign until we pulled up to the ER entry.  I don't really remember who I left my car with (obviously it was valet), and I rushed into the entrance.  The security lady was as slow as molasses while searching through my diaper bag, and when we finally got to the triage station, two nurses saw Hayden's labored breathing and got her back right away.

For the next 5 hours, we sat in a room in the ER where she got a few more treatments and started responding well.  Here's what she looked like after we came in, after her initial breathing treatment:

Within a couple of hours, she was back to her normal energy level, but she still sounded like a seal and was wheezing quite a bit.  The ER physicians diagnosed her with croup.  

Holding still like a big girl.  

Mustering a little smile while checking out the interesting machines, cords, and wires in the room.

This next picture was the beginning of her reaction to the steroids.  The doctors warned me of the possibility of moodiness, and boy HOWDY were they right.  Here she is during one of her 'highs,' doing circles around the room, holding a straw in one hand and a tortilla in the other.

They decided they wanted to go ahead and admit her, but the 300-bed children's hospital was at capacity that day, so we sat and sat and sat in this room.  Finally after 5 hours, we were transferred to a room in the children's hospital.  

The sweet nurses brought that balloon in for her.  Someone had left in in their room when they were released, and they knew Hayden would like it.  Like it she did!  "Buh-ooh" she would say as she pointed repeatedly to it.

Jason came to the hospital that night to drop off clothes for me and say goodnight to his girl.  The rest of the night was pretty horrible.  The steroids were making her crazy, and she would flail and flop herself around in the bed, finally wearing herself out only to wake up again after 10 minutes or so.  Added to that were the nurse visits every two hours and the RT's breathing treatments, and neither she nor I got much sleep that night.  One minute she wanted to be held and rocked, the next minuted she hated my guts and would push me away and slap at me.  God gave ma an extra dose of patience that night.. and I think the fact that she is my third made me a little less freaked out.  I knew she wouldn't remember any of it in the morning.  :)    

The next day (Saturday) was more of a waiting game as the resident and attending physician just wanted to watch her to see how she improved.  They knew we were going to be making the 9-hour drive back home just as soon as she was released, so they were very cautious.  I took her on rides around the floor in a little red wagon, we found a couple of empty family rooms with rocking chairs to play on, and she found a few minutes of enjoyment out of Bubble Guppies on YouTube.  

They released us at 1 p.m. (Praise GOD!), and after quickly packing up and saying good-bye to our family, we headed home.  We got as far as Forrest City, AR, last night.  Hayden screamed and/or fussed for that entire leg of the trip minus a 25-minute nap.  Yea for us!!!  

Today we got up and finished the drive home, and she was a much happier camper.  We are all glad to be home safe and sound, but I'm really bummed that I had to spend so much time away from my family while on vacation.  I'll post pictures of all of the cousins in a future post.  

Splishy-Splashy

I'm a huge fan of the splash pad.  Why, you ask?  Well, for one, none of my kiddos can swim yet.  So it's not stressful like a pool.  Secondly, it's contained, and I can sit in one spot and watch all three of them without fear of one wandering off.  Third, it's just so darn cute to watch kids being silly in the water.

Office Reveal

I'm officially drowning.  Have you ever felt like you're running two steps behind life and can't get a grasp on any semblance of control?  That's where I am.  Busy seems like such a silly, overused word, but it's the only accurate description of my world since we came back from Vegas.  Jason traveled last week, the bigs are doing VBS this week, hitting the gym five days a week, trying to stay on top of payroll, proofing a book during every possible free minute.  Oh yeah... and trying to PARENT.  But I'm making time to blog today, and that might give me a little sense of power and/or control.  But maybe and/or NOT.


While Jason was in Green Bay for three days last week, I decided it would be fun to surprise him and have the office finished when he returned.  My dear friend Leslie was kind enough to be my personal shopper, so on Monday she went from store to store and picked everything out that she thought we would like and took pictures.  Y'all.  She NAILED it.  The best part of hiring a good friend as your designer?  Getting to spend three days together!  It's so hard to connect regularly with friends sometimes, so it was a blast spending that much time together, laughing and shopping, and our kids probably think they're siblings at this point.  


Monday the painter came and painted a gorgeous gray, then Leslie and I made a plan for the office and went through the pictures of things.  The idea in my brain was to go for an elegant masculine look.  I knew she understood what I was going for, and she threw in a bit of 'world traveler' for good measure.  It's PERFECTION.


The only little kink in plans was that Jason accidentally found out.  The in-laws and I got our wires crossed, and Pa-Pa didn't realize it was a secret.  However, it was a blessing that Jason and I talked about the project  before I actually spent any money because I had totally forgotten that we were getting a new roof put on THIS WEEK.  Whoops!!!  As a result, my possibly un-capped budget got a nice little cap put on it, and I'm not in trouble as a result.  Not that I would've ever been in trouble, mind you, but a decorating budget shouldn't ever come before a roof budget.  My sweet husband was kind enough to let me continue with my hair-brained, ill-timed surprise, and I am THRILLED that he is so thrilled with the results.  When he walked in, he kept saying, "Wow.  WOW.  You girls totally nailed it."  


Success!  Thank you, thank you, thank you, Leslie!  When you get your babies in school, I'll be your first client if you decide to open your own design business.  You're amazing.  


So here's the before.  Technically, this is the before from one year ago right after it was painted.  I totally forgot to take a picture of what the office looked like last week, but it's basically the same except we had our desks in there and the wood floors were finished.  I had done NOTHING, people.

Here's the after!


(The picture on the far wall on the floor will eventually be hung when we do the next round of updates... possible sitting area on that wall, or maybe a cool credenza/console for storage... also, the fan HAS TO GO.  I hate that thing).  We're also going to throw in a few pops of color (probably yellow and probably cool pillows, etc.) when we finish the project.    

She found the matching mirrors, chairs, and wall art at Mathis Brothers.  The curtains are Bed Bath & Beyond, the rug is Pottery Barn.  Desk lamp is Mathis Brothers as well.  Paint color is Ben Moore's River Reflections.

The mantel accessories are my own except for the lanterns.  Lanterns are from Gordmans and Pier 1.

Jax loves the new clock.  It's from Gordmans, and it fills the curved wall perfectly.

So that's Round 1 of the office reveal!  I think next up (after the new roof) is the downstairs powder bath.  I'll keep you posted.

Yummy Turkey Burgers & Strawberry Creamsicles

Jason can take or leave turkey burgers, but I'm a HUGE fan of these.  I found this recipe in my America's Test Kitchen Light & Healthy 2010 cookbook, which I am in love with.

1 (20-oz) package 93% lean ground turkey
1/2 C. part-skim ricotta cheese
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Break the turkey into small pieces in a large bowl, then add the rest of the ingredients.  Using your hands, lightly knead the mixture until combined.  Divide the meat into 4 patties, each 1" thick.  I grill these on our gas grill on high heat for 6-7 minutes then I turn the heat down and finish for a few extra minutes.  Just make sure the internal temp of the burgers is 160-165.

I made these for a playdate with the Odoms and my friend Emily and her kids who were visiting from Texas a few weeks ago.  To add some extra yummy, I topped the burgers with marinated sliced tomatoes done THIS WAY.  Hallelujah, they were good.

Look at this cute menagerie of wee ones.  Not pictured is Hot Sauce who was chowing in the high chair inside.

The popsicles are the Strawberry Creamsicles featured HERE.  I just blended them a little more.  

I love summer!

10 Years, Baby!

Our anniversary trip was over-the-top romantic, both relaxing and adventurous, and amazing!  I'm still in somewhat of a state of depression that I'm back home, in the normal routine again.  Getting away with my husband of 10 years was just what I needed this summer.

Here I am posing next to the stretch limo that picked us up from the airport.  It never ceases to be exciting to see a limo driver holding a sign with your last name on it.  Makes you feel very VIP!

Our home away from home.  We love the Bellagio.  And this picture is of the back side of it!  

The view from our suite was top-notch.  If you haven't experienced the Bellagio's fountains, you need to.  Perfectly choreographed to music in an 8-acre lake, they're breathtaking!

Here we are posing at the entrance to the hotel.  I've forgotten how difficult it is to get pictures of yourselves when it's just the two of you.  I would always look around for another couple and ask if we could exchange picture 'help.'  Worked every time.  

Sight-seeing on our first day.  

If you've seen "The Hangover," you know how funny this is.  He even asked to be on Jason's left side "so (his) satchel would be in the picture."  I just wanted to kiss him.

City Center was brand new since the last time we had been to Vegas.  This complex is huge!  Very modern inside.

I've always loved going inside Caesar's.  Stunning.

Our couples' massage ended up being hilarious!  My masseur was a man who reminded me so much of Mr. Miyagi and Jason's was a younger guy with a voice just like Nicolas Cage (as played by Andy Samberg on SNL).  I didn't realize my massage was going to include hot stones, so about ten minutes in, I was mystified at how my masseur's palms were suddenly blazing hot.  And they didn't cool off.  Until I realized what he was doing, I had a fleeting thought that maybe he had dipped his hands in hot paraffin wax, but how was it still hot?? I finally figured out what was going on and told Jason about it, and he succeeded in adding a comment or two that literally almost made me pee myself.  Yessss... nothing like trying not to snort during a relaxing couples' massage.  And the more I tried not to think about it, the harder it was to control.  I was shaking and tears were streaming down my face.

Here are pictures of the pools at Bellagio.  Gorgeous, lush, yummy drinks, and I even had a celebrity sighting.  I realized I was walking right behind Juliette Lewis from the pool into the hotel.  She had bright orange-y red hair, and she had a small heart tattoo on the back of her neck.  It was one of those star sightings were everyone who passed her was thinking, 'I know I've seen her on a movie but can't think which one.'  Me included.  I had to Google her when I got back to the room.  I guess it's better to be left alone as a quasi-famous star than not be able to mingle with the general public if you're an A-lister.  Or maybe not.  :)

That's the hubby in the bottom left corner with the blue and white trunks on.  

Another highlight?  Cirque du Soleil's "Love," a celebration of the Beatles, was a GREAT show.  Thank you, Joey and Cristin, for the recommendation.  (These are pics I found on the web).

We played golf at Bali Hai, next to Mandalay Bay right on the strip, and had fun despite neither of us playing our best golf.

HELLOOOO hottie golfer.

My camera was obviously malfunctioning because it would just 'happen' to take pictures at this angle all morning long.

Dinner on our last night was at Prime, the best steakhouse EVER.  Mahogany here in town gives it a run for its money, but my gosh this place is good.

Getting in the taxi to head to the airport was such a bummer!  I really thought I would miss our kids more than I did... is that bad?!  I think it's a true sign that getting away with my husband is a necessary thing, and being home with three little ones is hard work.  We both agreed that we need to schedule a just-us getaway twice a year.  Forever.  

To my husband of 10 years,

Thank you for making me a part of Team Van a decade ago.  When I walked down the aisle to you, I could never have dreamed of a life so wonderful that we would create together.  Thank you for building our little family with me.  Our three babies will never lack for love, affection, verbal affirmation, and spiritual leadership, and for that I am forever grateful.

You have always been my best friend, my partner in crime, and a constant source of side-splitting laughter and worthless scientific knowledge.  And from the first time I saw you in Haskell Hall over 12 years ago, my heart still beats quickly when you enter a room.

You know me, you get me, and you love me unconditionally.  You have my back, you build me up, and you make me feel beautiful every day.  What more could a wife want, really?

Thank you for choosing me and daily reminding me what a beautiful marriage looks like.  I am so thankful to walk our path together and get to hold your hand along the way.  I love you dearly.