How can something so cute...

cause so many problems? And I'm not talking about that sweet little boy right there, I'm talking about that little ear on the side of his head!!! What a time we have had dealing with those little ears! Ford got his 379th ear infection two weeks ago, so we started another new antibiotic and set up an appointment with the specialist for this past Monday. I was headed to the beach for my annual girls weekend with my college girlfriends, so Joseph was holding down the fort. Ford finished his 10-day antibiotic Thursday, but wouldn't you know it, he woke up Friday night screaming his head off and burning up with fever! Joseph took him to the doctor Saturday morning and handled the whole weekend like a champ (along with a "few" phone calls to his sister...thanks Jennie!) He wouldn't let me call my mom for reinforcements or anything - he said Ford needed to know that Daddy could take care of him too! So while I was having a blast with these beautiful ladies...

Joseph was in the trenches of mommyhood taking care of a very sick little boy, cleaning our master bathroom, and doing a few loads of laundry for good measure. I think I'm one blessed wife! Thanks honey!!

By the way - we're getting tubes on Monday!!! Please PRAY for Ford that all goes smoothly! I never thought I'd be so excited about surgery, but it can't come soon enough!

The Big Dipper

Ford had a great 2nd day at school! Yesterday was a bit spotty, but one of his sweet teachers said he did much better today and only cried for a minute after I dropped him off! Praise the Lord! My stomach was in knots all morning, thinking I was going to get the dreaded phone call saying they couldn't calm him down and he needed to be picked up (not unusual since I have been pulled out of church a few times now!) But he made it!!!

If you look closely at the picture, you'll notice that my little boy is covered in powdered sugar! Ford will eat (sometimes) if he gets to "dip" his food - ketchup, strawberry jam, BBQ sauce - and last night at dinner, we had strawberries and blue berries for dessert with powdered sugar! He LOVED it! I had to pry the bowl out of his hands once he realized he could just eat the sugar straight. I know it's not the most nutritional thing in the world, but if it gets him to take a few bites, I'm up for it!

Ford's 1st Day of School

Ford started school today! I've been incredibly nervous, because for the past month, he's cried the whole time at church both on Sundays and Wednesday nights...but surely he can't cry for 3 hours straight, right? That's what I've been praying!

We think part of the reason for the tears is an ear infection that just won't go away! We are finally meeting with the specialist on Monday, and hopefully he'll recommend tubes and we can get this taken care of before little brother arrives. He's had 7 ear infections in 6 months, so I'm thinking it's a sure thing! And the antibiotics will clear up the infection but not the fluid, so the poor thing has been walking around with fluid in both ears since his birthday. Not fun for either of us!

Nothing to report on Luke other than he likes to constantly make his presence known! He kicks, punches and rolls way more than Ford did. By this point with Ford, he just stayed curled up in a ball! It'll be interesting to see what this says about their personalities!

The Sweetest Surprise

My wonderful sister-in-law, sister & mom threw an amazing surprise shower for me & Luke Friday night! They got me good! Jennie & Maryn drove all the way after Charlotte (making it 4 weekends in a row that we've spent together) - that was the biggest surprise of all!

Joseph was at the beach for a bachelor party, so Shealy wanted us to have a sisters' night Friday night. She wanted us to get dressed up and go to a nice restaurant, and she'd already arranged for Mama to keep Ford. So I dropped Ford off at my parents', and Shealy and I had a great dinner with great conversation at Hamilton's. Then we went to get Ford, and when I walked in the door, SURPRISE! When I saw Jennie and Maryn, I just lost it. For her to drive all this way by herself at 34 weeks pregnant is just beyond comprehension! She's the best sister-in-law ever! I'd had friends ask if I wanted a shower, but I felt like we just had one for Ford, and since we're having another boy, I just felt guilty having another one. But Jennie felt her nephew needed his own party, so she took matters into her own hands, called up Shealy, and it was on! The best part of the whole thing was Jennie and Maryn stayed until Sunday morning! I had them to myself all weekend!

It was such a special night - thank you to everyone who came! And for all of Luke's precious gifts! He's going to be a well-dressed little munchkin! After everyone left, I realized I forgot to get Holly to take a hostess and a group picture - I think I was still in shock. By the way, Holly, thanks for being the official photographer...you're the best!

Not the most flattering picture of myself, but it shows how surprised and happy I was!

All the yummy desserts!

Look how cute these favors are that Jennie brought - they matched the invitation.

A Quick Preview

Some people (Holly) have been giving me a hard time about not posting any beach pictures yet, so I decided to put a few up while Ford is asleep and work is somewhat quiet. I'm going to do a slideshow soon, but that requires editing A LOT of pictures; when you have two pregnant women with very specific demands on camera angles, it takes up a bit of time! Joseph is heading to the beach for a bachelor party tomorrow, so I should have some down time to work on it. In the meantime, here are a few of my favorite shots!

The family photo - I love how Maryn is trying to get Dede!

This pretty much sums up how Ford feels about his Papa - he thinks he hung the moon!

My two favorite boys on the beach!

We had such a wonderful time - great food, a lot of laughs, and we were actually able to relax because we had two college girls with us that were amazing babysitters! It was the perfect vacation!

Let's hit the beach!!

I was trying to get some last-minute packing done this morning (read: not paying much attention to a certain little boy) and realized things were a little too quiet! I walked into Luke's room, and this is what I found! I think somebody's ready for our vacation!!

*Kristin - this is the float I was talking about - do you want it for the summer for William? We've obviously outgrown it! Let me know!

A Fun Playdate and a Tiny Hinny

*Question: I looked up the spelling of 'hinny' and that's what I got...does it look right to you? 'Cause it sure doesn't to me!*

We had a fun day today, despite another round of ear infections! Thank you Natalie and Riley for having us over for lunch and sharing all your outdoor toys...the bone-shaped pb & j's were too cute. We'll have to do to it again after our beach trip!

Ford, Emma & Riley splashing - little Lily Kate wasn't wild about the water, so she didn't last too long in the pool!

Not much cuter than a naked bottom...as long as you're talking about a small child's!