Den.

I have a laundry list of things I want/need to accomplish before school starts this year.

Namely.

The den.

I will post before and after pictures.

But just be advised.

It's gonna be big.

Daddy O!

Note: Belated Fathers Day post Ahead

Yup.
It's that time of year again.

The time when we reflect on your job well done.

The job that isn't actually a job at all.
It's actually the greatest blessing.
Ever.


The one that gives you the most precious title.
And has the shortest days, and  l  o  n  g  e  s  t  nights.
The one that puts all those gray {white} hairs on your head.
And makes your bank account shrink.
Your heart bigger.
And pays you in hugs and kisses.

Dad.

It's those bedtime stories, and sleepovers in the same twin sized bed several nights a week.

  And sweet nicknames. Even in front of your coworkers and guy friends. {honeybear daddy}

It's when you play or wrestle, even when you are sicker than a dog, and are likely to throw up at any given moment while doing so... but you do it anyway. With a smile on your face.

It's when you play golf... as a four year old's caddy. Early. With just a "guys breakfast" beforehand.

It's about falling asleep on the couch together. Even in the most uncomfortable positions. Just because it's Friday night.

It's how you block out your schedule at work, just so you don't miss his first Tball season.

It's how the kids run and hide when you get home, just so you will come find them. And tickle their armpits.

It's calling each other acorns and walnuts.
Every night. From the bottom of the stairs.

It's the special bond you have with each of them. Individually.
That makes my heart as your wife, just melt.

I look forward to the memories ahead.
And thank you for every single one that has already become a part of who they are.

So.
Dad.
Let's have a toast.
A cheers.
For you.
And these past four years!

Love you.

Life. In fast FOURward.

Belated post:
I am still trying to wrap my head around the fact that our sweet boy is  

four.

I feel as though we are living life in fast forward.

I talk to him all the time about all the things he used to do when he was little [r].

He gets this goofy little smile and just listens to my stories of his younger days, and then will tell me later, "remember when I used to do this..."

He is amazing.
So smart.
So full of imagination.
And he has a great heart.

He loves his sisters.
And his momma.
And he wants to be just like his daddy.

He can be referred to as Batman.
Spiderman.
Or the Joker, on any given day.
As he climbs the walls, and the stairs.
Builds toy guns with his Knex.
And jumps around saying he is getting the bad guys.

I adore the way he wakes up. Thumping, bumping down the stairs.
And how he falls asleep. With requests for a book to be read, and to end with prayers, and a tickle fest. Every time.
I love the way he smiles. Especially when I have made him mad and he tries to hide the fact that I can still make him laugh.
And how he loves to wrestle. Even if I end up with a fat lip and a crushed rib. {which by the way has never happened, but it has sure felt like it the couple of times he has pile driven me with his head while wrestling on the floor}

I love that his daily menu is very plain. And often the same. Even if I have to force feed him things such as chicken off the grill, or brats, spaghetti. You know normal childrens food. {If it were up to him he would only eat Ramen noodles. Turkey sandwiches. Cereal. Pizza. Strawberries and Raspberries. Candy. Popsicles. And Taco Bell.}

I love that he has no fear. But it scares me... that he has no fear.
He is all boy.

Dirty.
Rugged.
And has stinky feet!
{already}
I love that he is my little fish. He loves to swim. And will just jump right in to any pool or lake. And then keep jumping in, no matter if his lips are turning blue, or the sun has gone down twenty minutes ago.
He loves to go fishing, even if he doesn't catch a thing except weeds.
He loves to golf, and play his Johnny Tincaps baseball.

He likes to help me bake. His favorite is cookies. Just so he can sneak a huge bite of dough when I am preparing the cookie sheet with parchment paper.

He is really good at counting. And can identify almost any number. Often calling them out as we drive.
He has written his name since he was three.

I am so very proud of who he is. And who I know he will be as he continues to get older.
Because this boy loves Jesus. And isn't afraid to let the whole world know it.
He recites his dinner prayer with minimal reminding, and will repeat after me with night time prayers.

He is my angel.
My superhero.
My boy.

I cannot lie when I say, that I am going miss the three hours a day Monday, Wednesday, and Friday this year when he goes to school. I already feel a little empty knowing he won't be around. Just making noise.
Starting petty fights with sis. And asking me for some breakfast and lunch. Or a snack.

But I am bracing for a year of new adventures for him. New friends. New experiences. New memories.
And that is something, I truly look forward to.

Happy Birthday, Nolan!

Your momma loves you.

May Day!

That title engulfs every meaning of the phrase.

After many weeks of unrelenting cries throughout the day and night, I was willing to do just about anything to get some relief for our third child. She has been suffering from eczema since about two weeks after she was born.

It started out as baby acne.

Then turned into very dry, flaky skin on her cheeks and arms.

I didn't think much of it at first, and would apply Jergen's Ultra Healing lotion after her baths.

But it got worse. So after talking with a phone nurse at around two months old, I was told to make sure I was washing all her things in Dreft or the like, and to get Eucerin lotion because it was hypoallergenic.

Fine.

Done.

I found a great hypoallergenic cream, Exederm, at the grocery and applied it the minute we got home!

And what do you know. It vanished!

For a week.
Then, it came back in a fury.

She was the worst she had ever been by Nolan's birthday.

Red red skin. And would just cry. For what seemed like hours.

I made an appointment with her doctor for the second time in a month.

She was developmentally on cue, but her skin was just terrible.

She was prescribed Hydrocortisone 0.5%

Something, I do not prefer using because it is a steroid... but it seemed to help almost immediately.

But after a while, it just seemed to adapt to whatever it was that i was using. I only bathed her once a week, and slathered her with the hydrocortisone often.

I was tiring of the process for her.
She hated it.
So I started to google natural remedies in the spare moments when she would nap during the day.
I came across an article in a Pediatric Journal that talked about simulating a chlorinated pool by adding 1-2tsp of bleach to her bath. Comments at the end of the article contested the safety of the eyes and getting rid of ALL bacteria {since the body has good bacteris too}.
But I was ready to try something.
Anything.

Later that night I started her bath, and added 2 tsp of bleach to the water.
I swirled the water with my hand and rubbed my fingers together.
It was slippery.
And it certainly smelled like I was sanitizing her little tub, not getting ready to actually wash her.

After a minute I just decided I would dip her in and see what she did. I had the water running in case I needed to rinse her off quickly. But instead, she proceeded to kick as usual. No side effects.
She was enjoying the water, and I was relieved.
I let her soak for about fifteen minutes before patting her dry.
Her skin was red. But it was always red after a bath.
I applied her hydrocortisone as usual and she dozed off to sleep.

The very next day, I saw amazing improvement. It was crazy how clear her skin was within just twelve hours.
I didn't have to apply her hydrocortisone for four days after that either! And that in itself was HUGE.

So needless to say, the bleach baths have become regular in our house. She gets one about every week to week and a half.
And we haven't looked back.
Nadie is actually sleeping four to five hours at night, and is mostly content throughout the day.

It has done wonders for the bags under my eyes!
And more importantly she is a complete joy to be around now.
Honestly.