Frantic Over A Fever!

Tyler has had a cold for the last several days. He is also finally getting some more teeth. So the optimistic mother in me kept saying "He is going to get better soon, it is just a cold and teething". So the last couple of days when he has felt a little warm or been fussy, I just gave him Tylenol and didn't worry about him. But today when I got him up from his nap I could tell before I even got to the crib that he had a REALLY bad fever. I felt terrible, I took him right to the changing table and as soon as I put the thermometer in it registered 103 right away and then climbed to 104.3. TJ has NEVER had a fever that bad so I was a mess right away. I gave him Tylenol and called the Dr.'s office (at this point it was 3:40) they told me to take him straight to the office that is closest to our house. I called Chuck and asked him to just meet me there. He actually got there before I did. Then we got to wait to see the Dr. and we got to hold a VERY fussy 14 month old the whole time. We finally were called back and the Dr. said he had an ear infection. They assured me that I did the right thing by calling and bringing him in. They have put him on an antibiotic and they said I should see an improvement within a couple of days. She thinks he is fighting off something else besides the ear infection so we are going to watch him closely the next few days. He was acting SO much better after his bath, right before bed. He was excited about saying "go" and kept saying it over and over again. I got a picture of him right in the middle of one of his "go" moments. He felt good enough to listen to some of the bedtime story tonight. I was SO thankful that he was feeling better and that we were able to get him in and get him some medicine so quickly. God is SO good, he certainly answered my prayers today.

TJ's First Camping Trip!

What a great view!
TJ helped Mr. Adam fish and was SO proud of himself.
TJ, Olivia, and Isabella after a cold night in the tent.
Chuck took TJ camping for the first time last night. Tyler and I stayed home, but got to go visit the campsite (since it was a whole 2 miles from our house!). They went with Mr. Adam and his girls Isabella and Olivia. Mr. Adam taught TJ how to fish, as you can see from the picture their campsite was at the edge of the lake. They had a beautiful view and enjoyed lots of fishing. Chuck and Adam did a GREAT job with the three kids. They came home with only a few minor bumps and bruises. I think they we be planning their next camping trip soon. I look forward to Tyler being old enough so we can join them for the overnight adventure.

CIRCUS DAY

Today was Circus Day at TJ's preschool. The students were asked to dress up in circus costumes. We had a clown costume that TJ refused to wear. But, the horse costume he was excited about. So, this morning we put our horse costume on and went to school. The kids had a "parade" for the parents. All the students came out dressed up to show off their costumes. Of course, TJ was the cutest horse there! After the parade they had "carnival" activities for the kids in the fellowship hall. They gave each child tickets and when they played games they got prizes. TJ said he enjoyed "fishing" the most. The parents that put on the "carnival" did a great job. TJ really had a wonderful time.

Finally BACK!

I am finally ready to keep up my blog again! After my brother was here our family had a few "sick days". I was really the only one sick but everyone took "sick days" with me (since there are no TRUE sick days for mom's). But, we are all better now and are back into our "school" routine. The other night Chuck and TJ were reading books before bed and they looked so cute I just had to share their moment with everyone.

The boys are really growing up fast. Tonight we were at Chuck's school for a spaghetti dinner and several people commented on how big they were getting. In a way it made me sad. I still feel like Tyler should be a baby, but he was running around the cafeteria like he owned the place. It was fun to see some of Chuck's co-teachers and to meet some of his students' parents. Since Chuck is in his third year at Bay Meadows we have gotten to know some of the parents and it is always good to see them. He really has a great place to work. We feel so blessed that he is so close to home and really enjoys his job.

Sea World with the Foreman Family

For our last day with my brother's family went we to Sea World. This is one place we can't seem to get enough of. It started out a little cold but by mid-morning it was beautiful. We had a great time. TJ rode the roller coaster for the second time and really enjoyed playing on the "rope" playground with Heather and Brooke. TJ even spoke to Santa for the first time. It is amazing what younger kids will do when older "role" models are around. I think it also helped that Santa had already brought him his much wanted tool bench. When he saw Santa he said, "thanks for the tool bench". Santa asked him, "did you get all the tools you needed"? TJ said, "oh yeah". It was really special that the kids were able to thank Santa!

Now that the week is over we are sad to see our Tennessee family leave, but we look forward to seeing them again soon.

Foreman Family Chocolate Party

Tonight we had a chocolate party at a wonderful little chocolate shop in Baldwin Park. This great little place lets you come in and make your own chocolate candies. Anything you want to make, cups, molds, or truffles. All the toppings you can think of, whatever you can dream up. White chocolate, dark chocolate, and milk chocolate, take your pick. Each adult was allowed to make 1 lb. of chocolate. So, as a family we were supposed to get 7 1bs. of chocolate. I think we went over by 1/2 1lb. not bad for 10 people. We all had SO much fun. The chocolate was delicious, we had plenty to enjoy for days.

Our COOL DUDE!

Today my mom took the kids to Downtown Disney and let the fairy godmothers at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique turn them into a prince and two princesses. TJ got a Cool Dude hair style, Heather was a Pop Princess and Brooke was a Disney Diva. All the kids really enjoyed their makeovers and looked so cute when they were all done. We even took the kids to a studio they have at downtown Disney and got some great pictures of them, individually and as a group.

After the kids were pampered in the morning, my mom through a massage party in the evening for the adults. We had a massage therapists set up at our house and the food and kids were over at mom's. One at a time we each got to come over to the "spa" house and get 30 min. back, shoulder, and neck massages. It was the first time my brother and sister had ever gotten a massage. They both were a little skeptical, but at the end of the night everyone had thoroughly enjoyed their massage. It was a great idea and it was certainly a TREAT!

New Year's Eve

Today was a pretty low key day expect for one thing! My mom got a NEW CAR. We were all so happy for her. She got a brand new Honda CRV. For anyone that knows TJ, you can guess that this was an exciting day for him. We spent a little time at the dealership helping her pick out her car and getting her through the paperwork. Then we left the dealership and went to IKEA for the first time. We had lunch there and that was a pleasant experience, then we started to go through the store. About 10 min. into the maze of products I looked at Chuck and said "we are done!". At that moment both TJ and Tyler were sitting in the double stroller crying. No store is worth stressing out a 3 year old and 1 year old! So we went home to let the kids get a nap and they were still in bed by 6:30 that night. Yes, on New Year's Eve they only made it till 6:30, I think we were up until 10:30 but didn't see any reason to stay up longer. I do remember the days that we enjoyed ringing in the new year by doing something other than sleep. I guess being a parent changes priorities just a little!

Foreman Family Christmas

Today started our week with the Foreman Family. Once a year my brother comes down with his wife and two girls from Memphis, TN and spends a week with us. They usual come the week after Christmas, so we celebrate New Year's together each year. We always wait and exchange gifts with them once they get here. We have a "mock" Christmas day and do all the things you would do on a real Christmas day. This year we started out with a breakfast at our house. When then made the long walk to Gram's and opened stockings followed by presents. This year my mom gave us a week full of activities and it truly was a TREAT!

After opening presents we had few hours of down time before we all loaded up and headed to Sea World for the Luau. None of us had ever been to the Sea World Luau and that was Dad's present for us this year, we had such a great time. TJ stared at the stage the entire evening. The Luau is a dinner show, so you are supposed to eat during the show. After dessert had been served and the show was over the house lights came up. We were gathering our things to leave and TJ looks at me and says, "I didn't get to eat". We had tried to get him to eat during the show but he was too busy "watching". Later on in the week, as he was reflecting on the Luau he told us that he liked the part where the man stirred the fire. I just love the cute way he describes things. The Foreman family Christmas day was wonderful and a great start to our week of family fun.

HAY RIDE!

TJ with his friend Jade on our 6th annual Christmas caroling hay ride. For the past 6 years we have filled Chuck's truck with hay and kids (big and small) to carol around the neighborhood. We look at Christmas lights and sing Christmas carols as we ride around. Every year we have a great time and this year was the same. My sister hosted the dessert / hay ride event at her house. We enjoyed a variety of pies, brownies, and appetizers. She also had a cake for Jesus. When it was time to go TJ looked at his Aunt and said, "thanks for throwing a great birthday party". She looked at him and said "what", he said, "Jesus' birthday party, I liked it, thanks". We both thought it was so sweet that he knew Christmas was going to end with a party for Jesus. It was a lot of fun and I am sure it will continue to be a tradition that we enjoy together as a family. Even if our necks do feel a little red after the hay ride!

Baby Jesus

Ever since we put up our Christmas tree we have had an empty manger sitting under the tree. On Christmas morning baby Jesus joins us and is placed in the manger before the kids get up. We allow TJ and Tyler to take care of baby Jesus and he will stay out until the Christmas tree comes down. It is sweet to watch TJ be gentle with baby Jesus, I wish I could get him to be that gentle with Tyler!

Santa Came!

Santa Clause did not miss the Fritts' house this year. About a month ago TJ saw a tool bench on T.V. Ever since then he has been asking for Santa to bring him a tool bench. We knew how excited he would be if Santa really did bring him what he wanted. So, we set our alarms for 5:30 am so we could be "ready" when the boys woke up. We didn't want to miss anything. My mom was told to be over at 6:00 so she wouldn't miss anything. As you can image we were ready and excited when at 6:20 we heard a little voice saying "I'm awake". We were unsure of what kind of mood he would be in but we did know that when he came out and saw what Santa had left he would be excited. As TJ slowly came around the corner we asked him to look for the tool bench. He looked under the tree and didn't see a tool bench. As he came around the corner he saw his tool bench and I think it was much more than he expected. He pointed and said "there it is"! He was still sleepy from waking up but he was ready to get to work. TJ had informed Chuck and me the day before that there were a lot of things that needed to be fixed at our house and that he would be happy to fix them once he got his tool bench!

Around 7:00 we heard the "cries" of our second little boy! My mom went in to get him and he "stumbled" out to see the BIKE that was left for him. Santa did REALLY good with this one. Tyler wakes up and wants his milk and banana RIGHT AWAY (like a little old man)! But when he saw his bike he got right on and stayed on for about 15 min. He continued to play with it throughout the day.

Santa did not forget to fills the boys stockings. They both enjoyed reaching in to find what had been left inside for them. We enjoyed getting to see the boys "feel" the magic of Christmas. We look forward to many more Christmas mornings and the magic they will bring.

Christmas Eve

We have several Christmas traditions that we enjoy over the Christmas holiday. One of my favorites is attending the Christmas Eve Candlelight service at our church. This year we all agreed it was one of the prettiest services we had ever been to. The service was at 5:00 and our 5,000 seat auditorium was standing room only. They even started seating people in the choir loft (since it was empty). It was a beautiful sight to see all those candles. The tradition of going to the Christmas Eve service and ending the service with Silent Night is what starts Christmas for me. This year was no different. I am thankful that I live in a country where I can freely worship the Lord and celebrate our savior's birth.
We started a new tradition this Christmas with TJ and Tyler. We allowed them to open one gift on Christmas Eve. Their one gift was new Christmas pajamas. The boys looked SO cute dressed in their Santa pajamas.

Fritts' Family Christmas

We went to Sea World with Chuck's family today! We had the best time. TJ and Tyler are blessed to have cousins that are about the same age as they are. It was so neat to see the kids together and watch them enjoy each other.








TJ and his cousin Olivia with Mr. Penguin.
















After Sea World we came back to our house and exchanged Christmas presents. TJ was SO proud of his present from Granny. He could see something with Lightening McQueen on it and knew that present was for him. He was so proud to put on his Lightening McQueen pajamas.



TJ and Olivia helped Ella with her present. We are so thankful for our family and enjoyed spending the day with them.

Chocolate Anyone?

TJ helped me make a Chocolate Cheesecake today. He was SO cute, I just had to share it with everyone. He woke up from his nap (I am never sure the "mood" he will be in after a nap) and came into the kitchen where I had just started on the cheesecake. He asked me what I was doing and when I told him I was making a pie he said "I will go get my stool and help you". I was excited that he wanted to "help" and that he was in a "good" mood. We had so much fun reading the recipe and putting the pie together. I am sure Saturday tonight when Chuck's family is here for "Christmas" dinner everyone will love it.