to grandmother's house we go

Last Friday (over a week ago now...I am late posting this) we left for my grandmother's home in Troy, which is the county seat of Montgomery County and is located near (or in?) the Uwharrie National Forest. My roots run deep there, probably going back to the Revolutionary War era. Grandma passed away in 2005, but the home where she lived is located about 8 miles outside of town. It is a home surrounded by quiet, tranquil pastures, where cows graze and chickens and ducks roam. It is one of the most peaceful geographical places I have ever known. But that is just one of the many reasons why this place is so very dear to me.

As a child, I spent lots of time with Grandma and Grandpa (my father's parents). They, of course, always spoiled me and made me feel like the most special grandaughter in the world. Grandma made my favorite--French toast--every morning. She also baked homemade biscuits every single day (which I LOVED). Her down-home, country cooking was the best! She would take me "to town" to buy me crayons, coloring books, and toys at the "dime store". I remember her taking me across the street to this soda fountain shop where I had my very first orange ade. SO good! She always stocked her pantry with treats when I would come to her house, and I thank God that at the time I had a young metabolism because it seems like I ate a lot at her house! She would sleep with me each night, and she would "scratch my back" with a pencil to make me go to sleep....I LOVED that. Sometimes, probably exhausted from getting up at 5 every morning, she would start nodding off as I lay across her lap, and I would shake her, "Grandma, Grandma!" Bless her heart...she awoke and resumed her back-scratching, never once complaining.

Grandpa let me ride his horses, even giving me my own horse. (I just "claimed" her, but thankfully, I didn't have to look after her.) Her name was Holly, too, which is why I chose her. She was a large, gray work horse that pulled logs at the saw mills. Grandpa also let me care for Penny, a beautiful copper colored horse with a blonde main, and when she gave birth to a colt, he let me have it, too! I named her Cindy, and she was fiesty! Grandpa always bought toys for the children to keep at his house, just like my dad does for his grandchildren. One Christmas we received a trampoline, and when I told him I wanted a go-cart, he bought one. He also made us a merry-go-round which the horses pulled. He loved making his grandchildren happy!

It was so nice to take my boys to Troy last weekend with my mom and dad. Dad entertained the boys, taking them to the pond to throw rocks (Bennett's most favorite activity these days....he begs Paul every night he gets home to take him to our pond). They also rode four-wheelers and launched rockets. The weather was quite dreary--rainy and unusually cold--but the boys still had a good time.

Paul played in a golf tournament in a town not too far away on Saturday, so my Aunt Anne paid us a visit, and Paul's mom came and spent some time with Mom and me. Her mother was born and raised in this same small town, and many of her aunts and uncles lived there their entire lives. When Paul and I first met, it didn't take long for us to discover that our family histories went back to the same small rural area of North Carolina, so for years we just assumed we must be distantly related. It was a subject that we didn't discuss very much as Paul found it a little embarassing. After doing some research, Dad couldn't find any relation, BUT, while we were in Troy last weekend, Ava showed him the house her mother was born in and it was the same house that my great aunt and her family lived in!!! My dad used to play as a young boy in the same house that Paul's grandmother was born and raised in! Small world, huh?

Anderson just said today what a great time he had at Grandma's house. We are looking forward to going back when the weather is more pleasant to do some four-wheeling, fishing, and hiking!

Just pulling into the driveway last weekend, my mind was flooded with childhood memories, and I couldn't wait to share them with Anderson and re-live some of them with him. I know they say you can never go home again, but when I return to Troy, I do.

ride 'em cowboy (or cowgirl...)

Friday night Paul and I had a ball hanging out with Ryan and Elisabeth, celebrating Ryan's 30th birthday. All the Brewers were there (minus children), which is a party in itself, regardless of what you are doing. We spent the night in Greensboro without our boys, who were staying with Granddaddy and Granny. They were happy, and so were we as this was our first overnight date in over nineteen months! (We were way past due for this.)

Elisabeth made me proud with her cowboy-themed party. There were cowboy hats, bandanas, a delicious chocolate and vanilla cowboy cake, cowboy cups that said "Kraksa is 30" with a cowboy on it, and delicious "redneck food", as she called it. And, my most favorite part of the party was the mechanical bull!! I only rode it once, as my tummy was not feeling well, but it was much harder than I thought it would be. Paul's brother-in-law, Richard, who is from Alaska approached the bull with his typical frontiersman attitude--he was going to conquer it. I'm not sure how many times he rode it, and I think it is much harder for someone as tall as he to stay on, but by the end of the party, he was "handlin'" that bull. Of course, I don't think any of us rode it even half as fast as it would go, but then again, none of us are even close to being bull riders. In fact, it was pretty hysterical to us that this bull was sitting alongside the golf course at Starmount Forest Country Club in Greensboro....we were a bunch of yuppies trying to act like cowboys.

The pictures posted here are of Paul's parents, siblings, and their spouses, along with pictures of Paul and I riding the bull. I'm saving these--I doubt you'll ever see us on a bull again. Paul was VERY sore the next day!

a few funnies...

First a quick update...

Anderson is regaining strength, energy and a little more of an appetite. He is still not feeling great, but he is on the mend. (We are five days into this, and I think a week can be "par for the course" for the duration of this virus.) He and "B" spent the night with his grandparents last night while Paul and I went to a party in Greensboro for Ryan's 30th, which was so much fun! I'll blog about that later...

Bennett is cracking us up. Here are a few things he did today that had us snickering (even if he couldn't know we were laughing).

• He swings his arms at his brother and when Anderson says "no", he laughs hysterically. Ok, he is hitting his brother, but since the word "hitting" has a connotation of a malicious act, I don't want to use that word because Bennett isn't trying to be mean. He is, however, trying to get attention--negative attention--and that is not acceptable. So, when we firmly tell him no, he is an obedient boy and stops.....for a moment, laughs again hysterically, then tries it again. We have tried seveal methods of discipline and have found that if Anderson just bear hugs him so his hands are restrained, Bennett hates that and stops.
• He calls himself "Boo Boo". Yes, the name has STUCK. He sees pictures of himself around our home and loves to point them out and say "Boo Boo". There is a book on our coffee table that is comprised of photos of him, and he call's it "Boo Boo book".
• He loves the word "poop". I told you that he seems to pick up on words we prefer he not use! Today, I was talking to Anderson about people who are lactose intolerant and I used the word in our discussion. Bennett stops what he is doing, looks at us with the biggest smile and says "poop", then belly laughs. This went on for at least a minute or so.
• I was folding laundry while Bennett stood behind me in the laundry room. I heard him walk into the kitchen, and since Anderson was in the family room watching television, I assumed Bennett went in there to see him. However, after a few minutes I noticed that I didn't hear Anderson talking to him, so I went into the kitchen where I saw the doors to the snack cabinet were wide open. I ran around the corner, afraid he was up the hardwood stairs again, and found him sitting on the first step with a bag of goldfish, eating a belly full! He just looked at me and grinned with an expression that I promise you looked like he was thinking, "Whassup?"

anderson update

For anyone who just linked to our blog looking for the scoop on our ER trip with Anderson, scroll down to read yesterday's blog. The following is the most recent update:

Sleep! A fair amount of much-needed sleep was finally had by all in the Brewer home last night. I slept with Anderson since he was still fighting a fever, but we gave him a good dose of Tylenol (which he hated.....NOT a good medicine taker), and we wrapped his head in a cool cloth to help keep that temp down.

This morning, Anderson awoke and declared, "I'm better!" He was fever-free. We ended up giving him some anti-diarrhea medication, and it worked well. He asked for pancakes, but he only ate a few bites. His appetite is still fairly non-existant, and he gets full very, very quickly. His energy level is fairly low, but he didn't nap much today and has managed to play some video games and with his baseball cards. We ran a few errands, including a trip to Target, and he wanted to ride in the cart. That tells you how tired he is. Overall, he is so much better and totally clear-minded, so PRAISE GOD for that!

I want to close tonight's blog with an accolade for the physician that treated Anderson in the ER. Dr. Gay Benevides, as I said in the previous blog, was a true blessing in the midst of a scary ordeal. Today, I actually received a phone message from her saying that she was worried about Anderson and wanted to make sure he was better. I immediately called her back, and as soon as I informed her who I was, she said, "I took a nap yesterday (she was on the night-shift, obviously) and I woke up and thought, "Why did I send Anderson home? I should have never sent that kid home!" She then added, "I was worried about him all day, but I had to wait until I returned to work today to get your number so I could check on him." I reassured her that she had, in fact, done the right thing because Anderson rested well at home and continued to improve dramatically once we were home. I also let her know that she was right in speculating that some of Anderson's unresponsiveness early that morning was due to exhaustion which rest could remedy. After our conversation, I could hear the relief in her voice. I was so touched by her attentiveness and her phone call today. I have never known an ER doc to go to such lengths. I have had interaction with doctors whose care for their patients seemed to be the complete opposite, so I am especially grateful to have the experience we did with her. (And by the way, you can see her featured on the local Wake Med commercials....she's a cute, tiny lady with a very sweet smile.)

the voice of Truth

Let me begin with this: There is nothing like the voice of Truth from the mouth of God when you are standing before a giant named Fear.

Today, that voice whispered precisely in my ear as I sat in the bathroom of the emergency room at Western Wake Hospital. He didn't speak in a sentence but in a short phrase--a Scriptural reference to be exact.

"John 14:13......14."

This phrase was in response to my plea: "Lord, please silence the voice of the enemy, because he is loud, and I am afraid. I need to hear You speak." Instantly, as if He were waiting on bated breath to say it when I would finally be still enough to really hear Him, He responded. It wasn't the first time He had spoken this night, and it would not be the last.

I quickly made my way back across the ER to room 27 where my precious nine-year old boy lay so still in a hospital bed. Yes, our sweet Anderson was very sick.

It all started on Monday night with vomiting, followed by a fever, and then diarrhea--the same symptoms Bennett had just days before. Bennett was healthy once again, so to be honest, I just prayed Anderson would soon be well while allowing him to sleep all day Tuesday, assuming this, too, would pass. Around 11 pm that night, I was going to bed so I tried to wake him to go to the restroom. He woke up, but as I mentioned in the previous blog, he had been a bit loopy from the fever, and he was very out of sorts at this moment. I decided to let him sleep, but within five or ten minutes, I heard him call out, "Help!" He was urinating on himself and on the sofa, but it appeared he was confused, unable to determine how to get to the bathroom. I woke Paul from his sleep, and the two of us took him to the restroom to clean him up, and when Paul told him to use the restroom, he didn't. He stood there, frozen. Paul repeated the command, and he mumbled, "How do I do that?"

Thinking he would soon have his wits about him, we put him in the bathtub. We would give him simple commands such as stretch out your arms, but he would seem to freeze, confused, unable to follow through. We asked him who we were, but he wouldn't answer. He had a confused, vacant look in his eyes. It was as if he couldn't formulate a thought verbally but could only repeat what we said to him. He was hot to the touch, but my oral thermometer was broken, and I did think at that point that he was dehydrated. We bathed him, talked to him, pleaded with him, even commanded him to come out of his stupor, but he seemed lost. Gone. He was there, but he wasn't. And that is when the giant, Fear, entered the room.

And simultaneously I heard it: "He's going to be fine."

I didn't know it at the time, but Paul heard those exact words in his spirit, too. Not audibly, but assuredly. And no matter how confident we felt that it was the Lord Who owned those words, that confidence would soon be put to the test, and those thoughts of "that was just what you wanted to think" and "he may end up fine, but what are you going to have to go through to get there" tried to settle into the spaces of our minds.

I called my mother who told me to call the doctor, but I knew that it would take time to get through the emergency line, so we loaded Anderson into the car to head for the ER. We buckled him in, but he continued to try to buckle himself even after I told him that he was buckled. He was clearly confused, acting as if he was asleep with his eyes wide open. I kept talking to him, not wanting him to go into some type of a coma, and he would respond, but usually his answers did not make sense. In fact, at some points it seemed as if his history and geography lessons were ravaging his brain with answers to general questions like, "Who am I?" or "Who is this?" being "the United States", "the governor", "the first lady", "rivers".

My mom graciously offered to ride with me as Paul was at home with Bennett, who was of course sound asleep in his crib, blissfully unaware of the danger that lurked with his "Bubba".

Within an hour, Anderson lay in a hospital bed, with an IV containing fluids flowing into his arm, which he was by no means happy about. He cried and screamed as they stuck him with needles, with me hoping that this would snap him out of his stupor, but it didn't. He only seemed afraid and more confused, and so was I. And when the fluids and Tylenol and Motrin hydrated his body and reduced his 103.5 temperature and he still was not responsive, everyone--including the doctor and the nurse--was concerned and confused, too. No one but God knew exactly what was transpiring in his athletic, weakened body.

The next few hours consisted of Anderson resting as the fluids refreshed his weary body, Mom and I watching HGTV and praying, making phone calls to Paul at home to give him an update, and us coming face to face with the giant when the doctor and nurse revisited Anderson's bedside. Words like "very concerned", "spinal tap", "meningitis", "we'll have to put him under" flew into the air like huge stones, landing like thuds with their enormous weights. I called Paul with the update, and the giant revisited him, too. In some respects, we were buckling under the weight of the giant, but for the most part we were clinging to the quiet Truth that had been whispered in our minds and that was written deep in our hearts, ready to fight that giant, and refusing to give in.

By 5 am, Paul was at the hospital with me, and Mom was at home with sleeping Bennett. Finally, I felt like I could take a break in the restroom, and that is when I quieted my thoughts long enough to hear the One Whose voice I most needed to hear.

I returned to the room to find Paul seated by his bed with the Bible opened, reading it aloud to his sleeping son--a tradition we have, by God's guidance and resolve, maintained since his birth. As soon as he finished a particular passage I asked him, "Can I read something?" He handed me the Bible. "Sure."

I was raised in a Christian home reading and learning the Scriptures. I am blessed to have had it sown deep into my heart, so while I can quote many passages, I am not nearly as competent at "chapter-and-versing" them. I flipped to John quickly, I scanned for the passage I had heard, not audibly, but clearly, in the bathroom. I read it silently to myself. Tears spilled, and I read it to Paul as I relayed my experience to him.

"And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it."

A promise. From Jesus. Right there in front of our eyes, God was making us a promise. Could it be that simple? Absolutely. I exhaled, at least for awhile.

We placed our hands upon our child together, and we agreed in prayer that God was going to heal our son, that there would be no remnants of disease left in his body, and that he would "live and not die and declare the works of the Lord." We began to speak with the authority granted to us and to tell that giant where to go and how to get there, reminding our enemy that he had no right to not only our son but to God's child who had been sealed in a covenant with Him by the blood of His Son the day Anderson first recognized Him as "Savior". We declared that God had great plans for Anderson and that every one of them would be fulfilled. And for a time, we rested from our battle with the giant.

We allowed Anderson time to rest, to give the fluids and medications time to do their respective jobs. But when the desired result never came, and Anderson seemed more comatose than ever, the battle ensued again. The doctor and nurse (Linda, who was a strong Christian who became a nurse because her three year old son was diagnosed with cancer 22 years ago) were a God-send in that even though they were clearly very concerned, they reminded us to not worry until we knew we had reason to worry. In fact, as the night progressed, Paul and I were surprised that the doctor began to have faith that seemed to contradict what you would have expected from a medical perspective. Anderson seemed even more "out of it", but she decided to postpone a spinal tap and began to say that she thought that maybe he really was just struggling with the virus Bennett had. Not long after, she informed us that if around 6 am he could wake up and seem more like himself, she would discharge him.

We wanted to be hopeful, but things didn't look like they merited a lot of hope. I even told my mother-in-law that I couldn't look at him and have the faith that I wanted to have because it is too easy to "walk by sight" rather than "walking by faith". He looked so sick, so lost inside his body.

Six a.m. rolled around. Anderson had been having evidence of an upset stomach throughout his sleep (this, if anything, is a clear indication that he was "out of it"). The nurse changed his bedding for maybe the fifth time, and Anderson opened his eyes. In the natural, healing still seemed like a distant destination and the path of discouragement was calling me to it. He couldn't talk. He couldn't communicate at all. For fifteen minutes, he said nothing. Nothing. His tongue even began protruding and his mouth looked very awkward. The giant sent words like "stroke" and "cat scan" pounding into my brain while my conscious thoughts combated them with "NO!" I continued to try focusing on what the Lord had told me, clinging to the Truth while the lies of fear pulled at me.

We again called my mother-in-law, Ava, who I knew had been praying all night along with other family members. As we talked and prayed, I took my eyes off of Anderson. She continued to declare what was true about Anderson and the situation, dispelling the lies of the enemy, and I joined her. Paul stepped in with Anderson, talking to him incessantly, trying to stir him out of his stupor. This went on for fifteen minutes. And then, a breakthrough. Paul kept snapping in Anderson's face, and this agitated him. A response--a grimace and a piercing look of anger was directed at Paul. A connection! The doctor entered the room and told us to get him walking so that he would be fully awake. So, a trip to the restroom ensued, followed by a walk. As this transpired, words began to proceed from Anderson's mouth. Progress!!

Ava encouraged us to talk to him about things he loved so that he would want to talk about them. We sat together, talking about sports, and this even brought laughter to Anderson. Laughter!!! It was the sweetest melody for two exhausted parents! Anderson would speak for a moment, but that glaze--that blank stare--would quickly return to his eyes. We desperately wanted to keep him from crawling into himself again and becoming unresponsive. So, we talked, and talked, and talked to him to the point that he began to quietly beg us, "Can't I just sleep? I just want sleep."

Paul and I were both surprised when the doctor announced she would discharge him on the condition that we would return if he didn't improve as the day went on. We left on that promise and in faith that there would be nothing but improvement from that point on.

Granddaddy met us at the hospital. I had prepared my dad to come into the room in faith because that giant would be waiting for him as he had everyone else. Dad was ready, and when he greeted Anderson in the waiting room after our discharge, he asked, "Do you know who I am?" Anderson had a quiet but confident response, "My grandfather."

As we made our way back home, we were rejoicing that our eyes were beginning to behold the promise our spirits and minds were clinging to--"You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it." There, before us, HE was doing it!

And as if we needed any more confirmation that God was at work on our behalf, something else happened. Anderson was so exhausted that he began to talk even less, and I was chatting it up with him to keep him awake a little longer. I am mid-sentence when he interrupts me, his attention captured by a song on the radio. His voice was quiet but clear, "Dad, turn that up."

We all listened, and tears again fell as we sang and rejoiced at what God had playing on our radio! It was the song by Casting Crowns, "Voice of Truth", one of our favorites. Can you believe it? A song was playing on the radio that is all about how we have to listen to the truth when the giant is scaring us to death! The words were perfectly in sync with my bathroom prayer just hours before. This is what we heard:

"Oh, what I would do to have the kind of strength it takes to stand before a giant with just a sling and a stone.
Surrounded by the sound of a thousand warriors shaking in their armor, wishing they'd have had the strength to stand.
But the giant's calling out my name and he laughs at me, reminding me of all the times I've tried before and failed.
The giant keeps on telling me time and time again "Boy you'll never win, you'll never win."
But the voice of truth tells me a different story.
The voice of truth says "do not be afraid!"
And the voice of truth says "this is for my glory".
Out of all the voices calling out to me, I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth."

Today was a day of a hundred lessons that we'll carry with us--about trusting, about standing firm in the face of your enemy, about knowing Who we belong to and how He fights for us, about remembering our purposes here on this earth, and about the strength, comfort, and support of family--our earthly family and the family of God. And maybe the most significant reminder is this: that giant called Fear is an illusion. Fear is only as big as you allow it to be. Faith always diminishes it, and perfect love destroys it. Both of those are only found through Jesus.

We have received countless emails and phone calls from people who heard from our family members about what was transpiring. A million thank yous to all of you for your prayers and advice. (Patrick, a special thank you for your advice in helping deal with the diarrhea--that's not a small thing for us right now!) We love you all and praise God for you.

Anderson has only improved throughout the day. He is unhappy with his upset tummy, so thank you for praying for that to heal quickly. He even went outside and played for a short time today and has asked me to take him to get something special to eat. It is truly a complete turn around since the wee hours of the morning.

And if you have managed to make it this far in a very long blog, we pray that through our ordeal, your faith is boosted, your resolve is strengthened to stand firm in whatever place God has you, that your trust is fortified in Jesus, and that you--above everything else--"may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God."

sweet talker, sweet sleeper

Bennett is talking more and more everyday. If he doesn't talk, then he communicates he understands everything you say by following your instructions or shaking his head no. He is even speaking in phrases more proficiently, but I am probably the only one who can interpret them--for the most part. Today, he brought me a picture of his cousin, Andrew, and he said, "Dandew". He also brought me Paul's business card with a photo of the Pack Man truck on it, and he said, "Big tuck". It seems like his ability to repeat almost anything we say has really emerged in the last day or two. It's quite exciting, and we need a little excitement with all of the viruses we have been dealing with!

Speaking of that, Anderson has slept all day long, maintaining a fever and acting a little delirious, but he is going to be fine. He has managed to keep food down for most of the day, so that is an answered prayer. We're on the mend, just not out of the woods yet. He woke up long enough to ask, "When is God going to heal me?" Poor guy. Of course, it is no surprise that Anderson has slept the entire day away as he has always been an excellent sleeper. He has been going to bed no earlier than 11 pm during his break, and he sleeps until at least 11 am the following day. If all children slept like Anderson, there would be far more well-rested parents in the world.

round two....ding, ding, ding

Well, I was putting Bennett down for bed when I heard Anderson leap from his seat and scurry to his bathroom. I'll spare you the details, but yes, he now has the virus Bennett is still recovering from.

Please pray for us. Bennett is noticeably thin and not himself, though he is getting much better. He isn't sleeping well at night, and I am quite tired. Plus, Paul and I have a babysitter on Friday so that we can go and celebrate Ryan's 30th birthday with him (he is Paul's sister's hubby). We are very excited about it and don't want to miss it, so pray that our boys heal quickly and that we stay well!

professional pics

Many of you know that my dear friend, Melonie, introduced me to Lisa Wynn, our photographer who started taking pictures of Bennett from birth through his recent eighteen-month session. (Her photos were featured on Bennett's birth announcement and last year's Christmas card, which she created for us.) She now takes pictures of Anderson and my niece and nephew (Cole and Andrew), and she will soon be photographing their cousins, Drew and Ella. I cannot stress enough how much we LOVE Lisa--and we LOVE her work! For those of you who are in town, I HIGHLY recommend that you check her out and consider having her take your family photographs. Even for you out-of-towners--you could have a session with her when you are in town visiting your families. You can see her work at http://www.rliphotography.com/ (the name of her business is Real Life Images Photography). You may recognize the second child whose picture pops up on the home page.... (It's our Bennett.)

Oh, and new moms--seriously consider having her at least take your newborn's pictures. I cherish mine so much--they are priceless! You can purchase a collage of various photographs which feature various body parts--feet, hands, profiles, eyes-open, sleeping poses, etc., which is what my sis, Laura, and I both did.

I thought I'd share a link where you can see recent pictures she took of the boys. Lisa blogs about some of her sessions from time to time which gives parents, family, and friends a sneak peak of some of the photos (she generally takes around 60 pictures each session, which makes choosing what you want so difficult), and she recently blogged about the boys. You can view their pictures here: http://wynnls1.bigfolioblog.com/ Make sure you scroll down because there are quite a few to see.

mr. kool

The same day that Dad snapped photographs of our soldier, Anderson, (see previous post), he also took a few of Bennett Boo. He is sporting his cousin, Andrew's, sunglasses which need to be returned soon (sorry, Laura!).

Enjoy...

my soldier

Anderson has always been fascinated with the military--soldiers, guns, artillery, planes, tanks....you name it, he is highly inquisitive about it all. For years he told me that he wanted to be in the army, but the reality of war has settled into his brain, so now he dreams of becoming a professional athlete.

My dad recently allowed Anderson to wear his father's marine uniform from World War II and to play with a rifle that he plundered from Japanese soldiers when Japan surrendered. Anderson was beyond thrilled, as he still loves to wear costumes and "play army". Dad took the pictures shown above of Anderson in his great grandfather's marine uniform.

a week at the beach

A little before 1:30 this morning, we returned home from a weeklong stay at the beach. Yes, we were crazy enough to put the boys in the car at 11:15 last night to make the drive back home. (Bennett was already asleep but woke up briefly while we were fastening his car seat. Anderson fell asleep about thirty minutes into Star Wars Episode III, which he has seen at least one hundred times.) We decided to cut our trip short because Bennett contracted the vomit/diarrhea virus and had a high fever. We all agree that our vacation was so much fun...until Bennett got sick. At that point, we became confined to the condo with a beautiful view of the Atlantic but no ability to venture out and enjoy it as a family. (Sigh...) One of our favorite activities while on vacation is dining out at various restaurants, sampling a variety of foods. But when you are certain that the food will too quickly make its way through your child's digestive system at any unpredictable (and usually most inconvenient) time, you really do lose your appetite for dining out (pun absolutely intended).

Enough of the less enjoyable moments of our trip....

We arrived at the beach late Sunday afternoon. We unpacked and went to The Deckhouse for seafood. Paul and Anderson are always happy to eat seafood! They both ate a lot of shrimp this past week.

The first day of our vacation was so much fun. We drove into Wilmington (just a quick fifteen minute drive) to take the boys to Monkey Joe's, an indoor facility with inflatable houses and slides for children and adults to enjoy. After we expended quite a bit of energy racing through the obstacle courses, climbing up and bouncing across inflatable walls and floors, and sliding down slides, we decided to go to Mayfair near Wrightsville Beach to eat Asian cuisine at Mama Fu's. The food was delicious, but as we left the restaurant for a little shopping excursion, Bennett had a blow out--our first clue that maybe things in his digestive system were not "just right". We now laughingly refer to Mama Fu's as "Mama Poo's". Needless to say, I didn't get to shop any that evening, but I knew I would have more opportunities later in the week. Or so I thought.

The second day we went to The Children's Museum in the historic riverfront district in Wilmington. We had a blast playing in the grocery store where Anderson was the cashier and bagged the groceries for me. I enjoyed loading my grocery cart and withdrawing money from the pretend ATM. Little did I know at the time, this would be my only shopping trip of the week. When we left the grocery store section, Anderson informed me that he wouldn't mind working in a grocery store when he got a little older, and I told him that was one of his dad's first jobs when he was young. Bennett loved Anderson's and my performance for him in the puppet theater. Paul and I enjoyed the performance stage and the karaoke stage (surprise!). We even did a televised interview for the boys where I was the reporter interviewing Paul who had just won his first U.S. Open golf championship. One of the funniest moments of that day was when I next interviewed Anderson, the quarterback who had just won the super bowl. When I asked him to whom did he attribute his success to, he quickly and confidently answered, "The cheerleaders." Yeah, I'm already praying for him. The testosterone is on the rise, and adolescence is closer than I am comfortable with.

After we left the museum, we walked down towards the river and ate at Elijah's. The boys especially enjoyed sitting out near the water. Bennett kept pointing at the river and saying, "wa-wa", which is "water". In fact, every time we drove over a bridge at the beach, he instantly found the water and pointed it out to us.

The following day the boys joined me at the lake at the beach that has a playground and paved trail encircling it. The lake is filled with wildlife, including alligators, which Paul is not all that happy about. Every time he sees the "do not feed the alligators" sign, he just shakes his head in disapproval that they would even allow alligators to live in a lake by a park where kids play. Paul has a little crocodile/alligator phobia, and he's not ashamed to admit it. Anyway, I ran around the lake while the boys played.

I finished my run, and we departed for the condo, but as Bennett was falling asleep, we decided to go ahead and take the ferry to Southport and then drive to Myrtle Beach for the day. We got to the ferry only to find that it would not depart for at least an hour. So, we grabbed a quick lunch and decided to start driving towards Myrtle.

We stopped at one of the first putt-putt golf facilities we came to at North Myrtle Beach. It is the one that is a volcano with red water running down it that is supposed to be lava. Anderson had an early lead, then Paul and I were tied for the lead, but by the time we finished eighteen holes of putt-putt golf, Paul was the winner by about seven strokes, thanks to quite a few holes-in-one. We were all a bit distracted as we played because Bennett wanted to dive into all of the water hazards and waterfalls. It was not an easy task monitoring him on the course, to say the least. We have already decided that this summer he will be living in a life jacket. That's all there is to it.

Next, we took the boys to Broadway at the Beach where we played on the outdoor playground and fed the huge fish in the lake there. Still, I didn't get to go shopping. The boys had been confined enough in the car that we didn't need to take them into stores and expect them to be well-behaved.

At the end of the day, we drove to Calabash, NC where we planned on eating at Beck's, the home of the original calabash-style seafood, but they were closed. So, we walked across the street to The Boundary House where we had a fabulous meal with an excellent waitress with whom Bennett was just smitten. He flirted with her all night--grinning, smiling, laughing, and jabbering at her wherever she was--even when she was across the restaurant. And she loved every minute of it. He is so outgoing, he just started smiling and jabbering at everyone seated nearby. One lady, when she left her table, stopped by just to talk to him, and then she started waving at him from across the restaurant as well. He was truly the center of attention that evening, and Anderson was a gracious big brother in allowing him to shine. I guess when you have had all of our attention for so many years, you are confident enough to allow others to have it sometimes. I don't think a better big brother has ever existed. I really don't.

The next morning, we went to Hugh MacRae park, a beautiful park in Wilmington that I highly recommend visiting if you enjoy walking or running or if you want a safe playground for the children. Paul and the boys played while I ran. After my run, we drove a few blocks down Oleander to a driving range where we dropped Paul off while the boys and I headed for the mall so I could shop for maybe an hour at the most. I was so excited that I was finally going to get to shop! Halfway to Mayfair Shopping Center, I heard the unmistakable sound of vomiting, followed by Anderson's voice, "Oh my gosh, he just threw up!" We did a u-turn, returned to the range where Paul finished up just one bucket of balls, and headed home. From that point on, Bennett's illness took up much of our time, rest, and sleep. I did manage to get out for runs each day, Paul took Anderson to Jungle Rapids Arcade for several hours one day, and I played on the beach with him one evening.

By Friday evening at 7 pm, Bennett was still quite sick, so we concluded that it was time to go home. We cleaned the entire condo, washed sheets and towels, re-made the beds and by 11 pm, we were ready to hit the road.

Today, we are all a little tired, but we are happy to be home. I have some great pictures of our trip that I will post soon. The cord to my computer is damaged, so as soon as that is fixed, I'll download them and post them.

Now, if you are still reading and have managed to make it this far into a very (too) long post, you all know where we have been and what we have been up to this past week.

ms. anna's pre-k

Anyone who actually takes the time to read our blog knows that my sister, Anna, is a preschool teacher who has her own school--right in her backyard, as a matter of fact. Anderson began attending her one-day-per-week school when he was just three years old, and he loved it. Anna is an advocate for freedom of expression, creativity and physical activity for children, and she strongly believes every child is created differently, therefore they learn differently. If you want to have a conversation with someone who is educated on the subject and who strongly feels that children are stifled in our current education system, talk to her. I truly believe she should run for school board at some point so that she can help affect change that we truly need in our educational system. Already, she regularly contacts her school's principal and teachers in offering research-based solutions to current problems in her child's education. We call her "the activitst". It won't surprise me when the state of North Carolina implements her philosophies....they should, 'cause she's right!

It's hard to believe that next summer I will be enrolling Bennett in her school. Time is flying! He already got a sneak peak at what his preschool will be like when he visited her school last Wednesday and joined them for circle time and for free-play time in the kitchen. Anna snapped the photos above while he played.

The Man who needs no introduction

Dad just sent me this clip of my mother's favorite comedian, Steve Harvey. (She knows every episode of The Steve Harvey Show.) He said if he ever had the opportunity to introduce Jesus Christ, this is how he would do it. He does it as only Steve could--with a little humor, but with respect and humility.

I think it made me miss a good 'ol Sunday church service at a black church. No one else does it quite like they do...

Check it out...

intervention and brotherly love

There is a program on A&E called "Intervention". Have you seen it? It documents people with various addictions and their loved ones' intervention to try and convince them to enter rehab. I've always thought the show was interesting to watch, but after you have seen a few interventions, I feel like you've seen them all.

Last month I blogged about Paul's addiction. I have decided to investigate the possibility of featuring him on that show. His addiction to Nutty Buddies only seems worse, and in fact, he seems to be moving on to "harder stuff". For instance, when I told him I was going to the grocery store, he asked me to buy some Nutty Buddies, but he added, "And get the big ones, the ones with the dome tops." He was referring to the Drumsticks, which are considerably larger than regular Nutty Buddies.

On Tuesday, Paul and Anderson had to go to Anderson's basketball banquet at 7 until 8:30 pm. The church where the banquet was held is only 6 miles away from here, so it is a ten minute drive at the most. It was 9:30 before he and Anderson returned home--on a school night, with Anderson having some homework he still needed to complete. Neither mentioned to me the reason for their tardiness, only Paul did say that his favorite part of the banquet was when it was over because it lasted way too long. The next day, I "just so happened" to speak with Kim, who is our manager at the mini-storage. She "just so happened" to talk with Jimmy (a.k.a. Pa Paw), who resides at the mini-storage's apartment, and he mentioned that Paul called him fairly late Tuesday night. I think the conversation went something like this:

Jimmy: Hello.
Paul: Hey Pa Paw. Are you asleep?
Jimmy: No. I'm awake.
Paul: Are there any more Nutty Buddies in the freezer. (sidenote--Paul should have known there were because he sent Jimmy to the store to buy TWO boxes just days before)
Jimmy: Yeah, there are some here.
Paul: Okay, Anderson and I are coming by to get some.

Now that I think about it, my sister, Anna, mentioned to me that Anderson and Paul didn't seem like they were in very good moods when they rode together to the banquet that night. I realize now that they were probably experiencing withdrawal symptoms and needed a fix. Regardless, it was the discovery of this "NB Run" Tuesday night that solidifed my decision to schedule an intervention. I am planning on doing this two weeks from this Friday, so friends and family--if you can join me, let me know. It is time we help Paul get the help he so desperately needs. We must act now--he has introduced this substance to our oldest son, and I don't want Anderson following this same path of addiction.

On an entirely different note, as I type, Bennett is standing on the back of one of the sofas in the playroom, with the wood blinds draped across his back, and he is yelling about as loud as he can, "BUBBBAAAAA! BUBBBBAAAA!" He is calling for Anderson, whom he heard exit the house through the garage underneath us and begin bouncing a basketball, heading for the goal by the driveway. As soon as he heard this commotion below, he scaled the sofa and began knocking on the window, trying his hardest to get his brother's (Bubba's) attention. He has succeeded, and is smiling at his brother below, who has paused his dribbling and shooting and is smiling right back. Brotherly love at its finest, I'd say. Now Bennett is saying, "boobie, boobie". As I peer out the window once again I see that Anderson has taken his shirt off. Yes, this isn't the only private body part Bennett now knows how to say...

seize the day

The beautiful weather called us outdoors today, and we answered.

This morning Paul kindly allowed me to sleep until 9 am, which is something that has been pretty much unheard of for the last 18 months. He said he couldn't sleep because Anderson got in the bed with us around 5 am. He used to rarely ever wake up in the middle of the night and come in our room, but over the last month or so, he has done it fairly regularly. Some nights, when I am not so tired that I am in a coma, I hear his feet hit the floor as he jumps off of his bed and runs down the hall. I can't bear telling him to go back to bed. The realization that he really won't do this for very long has me convinced that I should enjoy every minute he wants to snuggle us in the bed--even if it means that Paul and I wake up with sore necks and aching backs because there is simply not enough room for us in our queen-size bed.

Anderson had his basketball game, so around 10:30, he and Paul headed for the game while Bennett and I went to the grocery store, then went to the game. Anderson's team lost, but Anderson played so well. He has definitely had to learn with disappointment regarding his basketball team this year. Thankfully, today was their last game. I'm even more thankful that Anderson made the wise decision to forego playing baseball this Spring. Unless he plays in golf tournaments this spring and summer, we won't have any organized sports' practices or games until August. Yee haw!

After the game, Paul took the boys home, and Bennett napped while Paul and Anderson ate the lunch I had purchased for them at the grocery store--baby back ribs and mashed potatoes. I went for a run and then went walking with my mom. I am so thankful that Mom and I can exercise together again. For awhile, she had an injured heel, and she needed to refrain from exercising too vigorously or for too long. It was a gorgeous day for outdoor activity--a bit windy--but it was the kind of weather that awakens you from your long winter's nap as you sense that spring, with its longer, warmer days, isn't too far away.

This afternoon, we all headed back out for a game of putt-putt. Even Bennett played, for about ten minutes. Then, he was off running around the course and climbing on a golf cart that was parked on the course. Fortunately, we were the only ones there at the time, so we could allow him to roam. We then visited the playground where Anderson and I played on the swings and Bennett enjoyed the slide with his dad. (By the way, Bennett has no fear. He will climb anything. I mean anything. He even climbed up on top of the bar stool today without pulling it over on himself. Paul said, "Just imagine what he'll be climbing in a few months.") When we got home, the boys went down to the pond in our backyard and saw the ducks. They have been feeding them when they visit our yard, and I think we may have just convinced them to stay around a little longer. Normally, they only visit for a week or two before they continue in their migration.

Tonight, we had movie night. We popped popcorn and watched "Daddy Day Camp". Anderson especially liked it. It was a good, clean family movie.

I'm thankful for days like today where I am brave enough to seize the day--to put the to-do lists aside (believe me, I have plenty of cleaning and laundry to do) so that we can just enjoy each other, along with the beautiful weather. This choice reminds me of the first two lines of one of my favorite poems:

"Cleaning and scrubbing will wait 'til tomorrow,
For babies grow up, we've learned to our sorrow..."