Wesley Wesley Wesley

OH!!!!! My!!!!!!! Where do I begin? Lately with Wesley I have realized that the 2's were not so terrible! In fact, they were downright pleasant compared to the 3's! OK, I realize I'm using lots of exclamation points, but believe me when I tell you that they are justified. This week has been quite challenging with him to say the least. I wish I had pictures of it all, now, but I think this last incident of which I do have pics will certainly make my point. :)

Lately he has been quite the little "destroyer"! I cannot leave him alone in a room with a book because he will tear it up. (I'm talking a split second) The day of Graham's Valentine Tea, I had left out the stickers and ribbon from wrapping up his teachers' presents. I went to take my shower and when I got out, well there was Wesley with heart smiley face stickers all over him-even on his back, which I have no idea how he got them there. And, a whole spool of curling ribbon was strewn all over the dining and living rooms. Wednesday he used my tube of "Head-On" headache medicine (which I don't usually leave in his reach) to "color" the red fabric recliner and the floor. Honestly I was just glad he didn't eat it! And, speaking of colors...he also cannot be left alone with crayons. He starts out fine, coloring in his coloring book but it just isn't enough to keep him satisfied. Again, Wednesday, while Graham was napping, Wesley took a black crayon and colored our front door (it's painted white), one of the living room walls, the t.v. screen and the wood top of the t.v., the wood arms of our futon and the futon cushion (which I had the cover off washing at the time so that was not such a big deal.) I had just bought my first Mr. Clean Magic Eraser for such events and it did in fact work, thankfully (for Wesley's sake!). And, on that same Wednesday he poured out a bag of chips in the living room floor. Needless to say, we were in GREAT need of church by that night!

The latest incident happened yesterday to Richard. He had Wesley with him because I had a migraine that came on in the early afternoon. Wesley was playing in the nursery in a room that is nothing but toys and cribs...no storage cabinets or countertops...very kid friendly. BUT, he went next door into the center room where there is a counter top and out on it was the ink pads they had used at Team Kid the night before to put "tattoos" on their hands. He also got into some markers that were out, too. Needless to say, it wasn't pretty!!! He looked like he "bathed" in the ink. In addition, he got ink and marker on the newly painted walls of that room and the other "kid-friendly" room and on some carpet in the hallway. It would have been fine if it had been the carpet in the nursery because it's about to be taken up and replaced with laminate wood. Richard cleaned the walls best he could and will be touching up the paint tomorrow and the church already had an appointment for the carpets to be cleaned! (Of course I'm praying they have REALLY good spot removal.)

I know, as my friend Cameron reminds me, "this, too, shall pass!" I love this age because he is always discovering new things and he is so much fun and entertaining...really we do not have need of a t.v. between him and Graham! I'm just REALLY ready for the destructive stage to end! :) He is one of the great joys of my life!!! I'll just make sure I keep a good supply of Magic Erasers (put up out of reach of course.) LOL



Silly...always!

Uh-oh, the guilt is setting in, now!

I should be grateful he didn't paint his face-he would definitely have been "black-faced"!

One More

I have a friend whose family celebrates Valentines over several days, so I decided to do the same on my blog. This post is of our little boys receiving their valentines from us. Justus had to leave out early Valentines morning to go to a baseball scrimmage away. He didn't get home until late that evening. I made sure, though, that we gave him his "goodies" before he left. He still loves candy, so he was happy! One more note about him: he has his first game of the season today. I plan on taking my camera so I will post some pics of him soon. Back to this post...as you can see in the video, Graham and Wesley really enjoyed getting their Valentine goodies from us. It was a "LOVE FEAST" all around as we all exchanged cards and candy, (I was in chocolate heaven). We spent the rest of the day relaxing and playing. Then we ended it with RED beans and rice for supper...mmmm!

Graham's Valentine Tea at the Circle T

Yesterday Graham got a real treat at school. It is customary for the Kindergarten classes at his school to have a Valentine Tea at the rodeo arena that is out from town called the Circle T. They have a really nice restaurant and as you will see in the posted video a nice place to dance as well. In preparation for this event they were taught some etiquette so as to know how to handle a tea cup (made of real china). And they were taught to waltz and Texas 2-step. As you will also see in the video, I'm pretty sure Graham was more like 1-stepping (Make sure you watch for the twirl and watch all the way to the end). But he and his cute little partner, Brianna, did a good job and really were sweet to watch! Also notice that they are all dressed in their best western dress. There was one "couple" who color coordinated...she had on a red velvet dress and he had on a red vest...too cute! I've also posted a slide show of some pics so you can see the Tea Party as well. The decorations were really pretty and it was a really nice treat for them. Graham came home with a gallon sized ziploc bag full of valentines, too! He was so sweet sharing all his duplicates with Wesley and of course he threw away the ones with girly pictures like Barbie and princesses...that he gets from his daddy!
Of course as I stood and watched him dancing so grown-up like, I almost lost it. I had a flash back of holding him when he was just an infant. Where does the time go? Enjoy!!!

P.S. In the slide show there is a pic of Graham holding a certificate. It is for him being chosen Citizen of the Month for January in his class. We were sent a very nice letter from his principal congratulating him and us. And they took a picture of him to post in the local newspaper.

P.S.S. The 2 pics of Wesley are of him decked out in heart stickers and ribbon which he got all in to while I was showering and getting ready to go to Graham's Tea. Of course, the one of him pouting is because he thought he was in trouble...but I couldn't bring myself to get on to him...he was just too cute...my little Valentine!

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Happy Valentines Day

Make a Smilebox postcard

Happy Valentines Day!!! We love you ALL!!!

...The Rest of the Story

As you all know we Harveys are famous for the "rest of the story"! (Well, at least one Harvey is...Uncle Paul...as Richard refers to him. He He!) So I am going to follow in his footsteps here. Apparently I was a bit premature in my reporting last night about our storm. As I told you in my previous post, the hail was very loud. What I don't think I mentioned was how the winds howled too. I didn't hear the "freight train" sound, but there was definitely major howling taking place. When Richard returned home this morning from taking Justus to school, I heard him talking to our neighbor outside our bedroom window. From what I could hear of their conversation, I knew there must have been some damage...and there was. Richard took the following pics of the limbs which fell out of our tree onto their power lines. Fortunately they did not lose power, but did lose their cable. Also there is a pic of a limb down in our back yard on my clothes line and all the debris which settled against the back fence. He told me that our other next door neighbor had lost some of her siding on the west side of her house and that the metal roof of the 2-story house next to her had been peeled back some. It was still attached, but was flapping in the wind. Our Sonic's sign was blown out as well. So, I retract my statement from last night. Maybe the tornado reported in Hamilton was on top of us! Again, I am thankful for the Lord's protective care!!! :)

Limb on Clothesline


Debris along back fence


Limb on Neighbor's cable line



BIG limb (Yellow house is our neighbor)

Broad view

Hail in Hamilton

We have had a tumultuous couple of days weather-wise here. On Sunday the winds blew strong all day...sustained 25-30 mph with gusts up to 40 mph. Since we have lived here we have had many days like this. If Chicago is the windy city, Texas is definitely the windy state! So I did not think too much of it except that I knew later on that night it was supposed to storm. When Richard and Justus returned home from church (I had kept the little sickly boys home) they told me that the wind was so strong that it blew off one of our van's back windows and it had smashed on the pavement. The window was missing the arm and lock to keep it securely closed. Undoubtedly a gust opened it and the force blew it off...crazy!!! So, later that evening the rains did come and they were heavy, but no storms. We have been terribly dry here, so the rain was welcomed!
Fast forward to tonight. A little while ago, about 8:15 p.m., we were all in different parts of the house. Richard and the boys were in the living room. Justus was in his room and I was in our room talking to my friend Scarlett on the computer. I heard a distant clap of thunder and knowing we were in for some possibly severe weather I told her I had to go so I could start a load of laundry before the storms got here. I then proceeded to shut down the computer in case of strong lightning. Just as I began the process, I thought maybe I should turn it back on to see exactly how close the storms were. Before I could, though, I got my answer. I have never heard such loud winds and hail. I just knew the hail was going to break my living room windows. The lights went off about 3-4 times, but came back on quickly. I made the boys get into the hallway and I scurried around to find batteries for 2 more flashlights. We did have 2 working already. The winds howled and althought the lightning was flashing I could not even hear the thunder because of how loud the hail was. I'm posting pics of the hail which was pea to quarter sized in diameter. About 10-15 minutes later it was all over. As I got back on the computer to see if more was coming, the weather channel site showed that Hamilton was under a Tornado Warning. I'm sure it was not on top of us, but I don't doubt that it was nearby. I'm troubled because our sirens which are tested every Friday like clockwork did NOT go off. I think tomorrow I will be making a trip to Alco to buy a weather radio.

Thank you, Lord, that even when storms (of ALL kinds) hit suddenly and without warning to us that You are not surprised and You are ABLE to protect us and get us through!!!

"My help comes from the Lord, who MADE the heavens and the earth!" Psalm 121:2

Another Update

Ok, so we took Graham to the doctor this morning because his symptoms worsened over the weekend. He actually seemed better on Saturday and I let him go down the street to play with one of his friends. Unfortunately that was a bad decision because he came home from there feeling bad. He complained of his throat hurting and during the night he awakened with a very hot fever. So, I kept him and Wesley home from church as his fever continued on Sunday. I also noticed Sunday evening while Graham was sitting with me that he was making a wheezing sound when he breathed. The doctor listened to Graham's chest and just as with Wesley last week ordered an X-ray. Now I had still not heard from the doctor's office about Wesley. So after viewing Graham's x-ray and reading the results of Wesley's they both have been diagnosed with Bronchialitis. So, now both are on antibiotics and because of Graham's wheezing he is on a steroid again, too. He also was prescribed the same allergy med that Wesley has been on for over a year, Singulair and they also ordered for him a nebulizer machine from home health to give him breathing treatments 2x a day (not sure for how long). Home health should be able to tell us for how long when they deliver the machine. So, please continue to keep praying for them. As you know just because they are sick does not mean their energy level goes down and in fact the steroid usually hypes them up. So say a prayer for me and Richard, too. They have cabin fever something fierce!

As for Justus, of course we will not know any more until he goes back to the doctor on Tuesday, the 17th, but I can say that he hates the ear wash that we have to put in his ear twice a day. He says it burns (which it is a form of acid) and that it makes him dizzy. Also, starting this morning he has to be at school every day at 6:15 a.m. He goes for track and weight lifting and a couple of mornings is for football, too. Then of course he has school from 8-3:30 and then baseball practice until around 6:00. So, please keep praying for him, too.

Our plumbing issue seems to be resolved. It must have been a city issue as we saw them working in our neighborhood on Friday. Of course, I also credit the Lord as I know I have wonderful prayer warriors in you all! So, thank you, Lord, and thank you our friends and family!!!

P.S. Richard seems to be doing O.K. with his throat. He says everything went well Sunday. One more thing to be THANKFUL for!!!

Update

Here is an update to my prayer requests I posted yesterday:

Wesley saw the doctor and is now on another round of antibiotics. It seems pneumonia is going around among the kids in town and the doctor thought he heard some rattling in his left lung, so he ordered a chest x-ray. We have not heard any results as of yet, (I'm thinking this is a good sign, I hope) but I have put in a call to the office for them to call me to let us know. He seems a little better today.

Graham did not feel well at all last night...lots of sneezing and coughing and nasal congestion, too. He seemed to have a low grade fever, too, so we kept him home today, but his symptoms seem more like allergies.

At Justus' appointment they cleaned a lot of junk out of his ear. He cannot get water in it at all as fungus is rampant in it. We have to put a "wash" in it 2x a day and keep it completely protected during his showers. The wash is intended to really clean it and get all the fungus out so that in 2 weeks when he goes back they can see if there is any cholesteatoma in it. At that time they will determine if there is any in it and if he needs surgery.

Richard is not going to the doctor. He is self medicating. He says he thinks it is an inflamed/infected tonsil and it seems to be staying about the same. His voice seems to be OK, but I'm not sure how painful it will be when he preaches. Please just keep him in your prayers, especially Sunday. At this point it would be Tuesday before he could see a doctor because he has class on Monday.

Lastly, I'm hanging in there, but on top of all this we have also had plumbing issues for the past several weeks. The plumber has been here 3x. We are beginning to think it could be a city issue at the street, but not sure. It has affected my ability to keep up my laundry, so I'm off to a Laundry Mat tomorrow...out of town as ours here in Hamilton is nasty. I do so appreciate all of your continued prayers and the love and support you have all sent our way! I will certainly call on you if it gets to be too much! I promise!!!

Love to you all!!!

P.S. On a happy note, Justus has made the Varsity baseball team as a pitcher. He also plays outfield. He seems to be enjoying it.

Much Prayer Needed

Well, today I have 2 going to the doctor and 1 who probably needs to, but I'm not sure he will go. Justus has been complaining for over a week about his ear (his "bad" one) bothering him. I would not be concerned because this does happen from time to time and we go and have it cleaned out by the ENT and then he's OK for usually about 6 months. It can be more often in warmer months. My concern this time is that it has only been 3 months and it's winter (no swimming to speed up the process). So, my first prayer request is for him and that specifically there will not be any cholesteatoma in the ear that cannot be removed by cleaning...in other words that it will not need surgical removal.

Secondly, Wesley is going back to the doctor today for the 2nd time in 3 weeks. He and Graham went 3 weeks ago for really bad colds. The antibiotics and steroid really cleared them both up, but now he has a full blown cold again...started with croupy cough, then constant productive cough, very stuffy and runny nose with thick mucus and now fever, too. He's just miserable. It's frustrating because he is the one who gets the least exposure to others. Also, last time they told us that Wesley's ears were red and that one of his tonsils was swollen, so I don't want to take any chances...thus the appointment for him today.

Graham's eyes looked bad last night, but the mountain cedar pollen has been high and he did not get his Zyrtec the night before because we ran out. With high winds forecast for today and tomorrow(this magnifies the pollen problem), we may be back to the doctor with him before the end of the week. Please pray for them both to clear up and stay cleared up. This mama is getting weary!

My last request is for Richard. He told me last night that he has had a nodule in his throat for several days and it seems to be getting worse...very sore and looks infected when he looks down into his throat at it. He said he may need to go to the doctor, too. When he mentions doctor, then I know it's not good because he usually just doesn't go. Of course my thoughts are going to the worst possible scenario...him being a preacher and having a nodule in his throat...I've heard of things like this before. Please pray for healing and for this to not be the serious issue that it could be. Please pray for me to be able to get our house completely sanitized...Lysol and Clorox are my friends!!! I know that the Lord is capable and faithful to meet our every need! I am asking you all to go to Him in agreement with me to ask for His continued provision and protection!!! Thank you!!!

Psalm 103:1-3 "Praise the Lord, I tell myself; with my whole heart, I will praise His holy name. Praise the Lord, I tell myself, and never forget the good things He does for me. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases." (NLT)