Snow, PT Students, and Basketball

What a week! I have been battling the computer to get my poor PT students midterm and final evaluation done despite computer errors. Speaking of computer errors...my office was without computers on Monday which meant no schedule or notes for patients. It was surprise treatment day! I am currently watching Mizzou try ot hold on to a win in the Sweet Sixteen. Sure hope OU can pull one out tomorrow as well.

We have also been trying to break Reed of getting up in the night and sleeping with Mommy and Daddy! I know the cardinal rule of parenting, don't let the kid sleep with you...but I am a rule breaker and when he was sick we could both sleep if he slept with me...we all know that Christy needs her sleep! Unfortunately, Reed takes after his Mommy in this area! So in the crying out phase (with a not so tough Mommy and a snoring Daddy) we are tired on this Thursday night!

I picked this week to attempt this for 2 reasons...one: my ribs are sore and two: I was planning on going to KC with my girlfriends Saturday and Sunday so I thought I'd get to sleep in...now we are talking snow that we may have to dig out of! :( I'm kind of bummed...but hey, Reed can finally where his snow boots if it does snow and the wind doesn't blow him over!

Cleaning Day!

Tomorrow is my favorite day of the month! The cleaning lady comes!!! Yeah!!! I love to come home to a clean house after work. There is nothing better! We are also getting family photos taken at church. Our first one ever done professionally. It has taken me 18 months to talk Todd into and I don't think he would have done it, if it wasn't free for the church directory! Oh well, I'll take what I can get. Reed will probably have some major injury at daycare tomorrow and have a big gash or something on his head! I guess it would be an acurate record of our life!!

Moving Outside!

It's official...Reed is moving outdoors! He loves, loves, loves it! I hope that this will never change for him. Todd and I both love to be outside so I hope that some of this love of nature is genetic. We have been so blessed with marvelous weather this weekend and into the first of this week. Reed cried this morning on the way to the babysitter because I wouldn't let him get in the wagon, but he got to run around outside this evening with Daddy and the dogs. We cooked out again and ate outside. Reed thinks this is really neat!! The only way I could control the angst about going inside this evening was to put him in his next favorite place the bathtub! He sure needed a visit there after his evening. I hope he sleeps good tonight, he should he played hard!

Thanks Lexy

Thanks to our good friend Lexy and her new job at Gap Kids, I spent a bundle on Reed today at the friends and family sale. Got lots of cute clothes though! It is hard to find little boys clothes that are cute, it seems that they get the shaft compared to little girls! Everything ends up looking the same! Not today, Reed will be stylin' this spring! Thanks Lexy! We love and miss you! Come see us again soon!

We LOVE to BE OUTSIDE!!!

What happened to the warm weather? Where oh where did it go? We are anxiously waiting its return. We had such a good weekend! Todd grilled for the first time this season on Friday after work. It was so nice that we even ate outside on the patio! We are going to have to invest in a booster seat for the patio, cuz Reed loved eating outdoors! We had lots of fun playing with the dogs too!

Saturday lended to another great day outside. Reed and Daddy played ball, worked in the yard, and in the shed. Mommy and Reed played chase outside and just plain got dirty! It was a blast! We got very little laundry done and less house cleaning but life is short, right?

Sunday brought the time change and a need to tire Reed out so he would go to bed!!! Especially after a two and half hour nap! So after Daddy went to work, Mommy and Reed took the wagon to the playground and played until we couldn't play anymore. We met some nice little boys that helped Reed go down the BIG slide and played a little tether ball with us. Reed thought that was the pretty neat! He'd hit the ball and then chase it around the pole! I bet he went around the pole 30 times! He'd get mad at me if I stopped the ball and tried to help him! It was so funny! I thought he'd get dizzy, but nope he'd just giggle and do it again!

Here is a video of Reed and Truman and the Battle of the Bone! Enjoy!

Spring Has Sprung?!?

Wow!!! 84 degrees and sun today. That is just what the Hackleman's ordered. Reed is FINALLY feeling better!!! All smiles and chattering incessantly! Boy, did we miss him! After work today we all got to go on a walk. Even Truman and Jack got to come. I don't know who was more excited, Reed to be in the wagon right next to the "dahgs!" or the "dahgs" to be outside in this beautiful weather. Todd and I are still battling the sinus stuff, but we are getting better everyday and the sun today sure was helpful! We are looking forward to the time change this weekend and lots more daylight. We might even fire up the BBQ!!

Thank Heavens for Grandmas, Mommys and Daddys that Stay Home with Sick Babies!

The Hacklemans are still battling the sickness! Reed had to come home from daycare on Thursday afternoon AGAIN and missed all day Friday. My WONDERFUL husband, sacrificed his precious days off to stay home with him, while Mommy worked crazy busy hours for the end of the month! Luckily Grandma Thompson came to everyone's rescue! After Reed's doctor's appointment and awareness of an eye, ear, and throat infection and 4 kinds of liquid medicine that he takes as well as his mother! (Yes, for those who know the story of a 2 y/o Christy, her Dad and the cough medicine...you know he is laughing his A$$ off up there in the wide blue yonder!) Grandma came to stay the weekend with us. She ended up staying until today, since Reed hadn't quite kicked it yet. So, we got yet another medicine!!! WOOO HOOO!! We have tried all the tricks that we have been told, and have concluded giving medicine to an 18 month old....STINKS!!!! I hope he is getting half, or even a quarter of it. It is definitely a 3 man job! The bright side is, I think we only have 2 more days. Is there not a way in this world to make it taste better? I don't blame the kid one bit. I don't think it smells better than it did 30 years ago when I was being force fed! I really think there might be a market in this for some up and coming pharmacist!

Anyway, the point of this post was to say how grateful we were to have Grandma come and stay! Because Reed needed his Mommy and Mommy needed her Mommy! Daddy just needed a break! The Hacklemans and Thompsons have had a rough few months and the phrase from our wedding vows keeps coming to my mind "in sickness and health" What a commitment it is to be there for everyone in sickness...at all or any levels, because the world doesn't stop for you like we'd like it to do. You have to find a way to keep on going. I've been blessed and (sometimes cursed) with the ability my parents gave to keep plugging away, but the curse comes in when you have to ask for help. It isn't an easy thing to do, for me it isn't anyway. I was raised to believe (the blessing) that I could do anything I set my mind to accomplish. I think that is true still to this day, but what I am learning slowly (the curse...slow learner that is...I think it might be stubbornness) is that most of the time I don't accomplish things by myself. I have an army of family of friends that support me and hold me up until I reach my goal. Sometimes I wait to late, until I've dug myself such a hole that I can't get out without a BIG lifeline! That's where my mom and my husband come in. They keep pulling on me to get out of this hole I'm in with work, illness (snot, snot, snot), Reed's illness, and maintaining my family order. I just need to ask and accept a little more help from time to time and accept that it takes us all doing our part (not just me) to make our home a happy place.

Sooo, after the first round (although most likely partial) dose of steroids, Reed was much more like his old cheerful self, getting into everything and talking up a storm. He went to sleep so late tonight, because he just didn't want to stop playing. When he finally gave up there was this wonderfully devilish grin on his face! I don't know if he just felt that much better, if he was high on all the drugs, or if Grandpa Thompson was whispering stories about his Mommy in his ear! I'd like to think it was either the first or the last, but if it is the last...Dad, you made your point and medicine taking could go much better tomorrow, please! :)