Surprise! Surprise!

What a fun finale to a rough end of the summer!  Chris decided to take the day off so we could surprise the boys with their first trip to Legoland!  I should have known we were in for a fun time when the boys woke up this morning.  Chris and I were still in bed.  I called the boys in and told them we had a surprise for them.  Of course they were dying to know where.  Warren said "Mommy, just give us a hint."  So, I said "Ok, well, Daddy is not going to work today, but we are all going somewhere."  With that, Harper raised both hands and said "Yes!  To McDonalds!"  Warren's eyes lit up and he said "Family Fun Center?"  (Of course, Chris and I looked at each other and thought, "Heck, why are we spending all this money?  Let's go get Happy Meals.") 

Thanks to Emily Corl, we were able to get in for free....which made the day that much sweeter.  Although we had a few meltdowns (and between the hunger and heat, we were surprised it was only a few), we had a super day!  We loved the rides, loved the water park, loved traveling through the USA in Mini-land (ok, so, maybe Harper didn't enjoy Mini-land as much as we did).

And, the surprise of the day...Warren, mostly sweet little, sensitive Warren....rode his first real roller coaster and loved it.  And, I do mean loved it!  So much that after he and Chris rode, he came and hunted me down so I could ride with him.  Then, he and Chris rode a second one before we left.  Of course, on our way home, we had to hit McDonalds....and make all Harper's dreams come true.  I'm just sorry I don't have a picture of how happy his little cheeseburger made him....to replace the Mini-land picture above.   

Come On Get Happy

Ok, after that "heavy" post, I thought it might be nice to lighten things up.  And, for one so "heavy," there is no one to "lighten" things up better than Harper.  I should preface this by telling you that both of these "funnies" happened in one day...so you can only imagine life with Harper. 

The other day I took the boys to Barnett Park, as a last hurrah to summer.  They love to play in the sand, and then go cool off in the fountains.  They especially love getting a special treat from the ice cream lady.  And, this day was no different.  Warren picked a Spiderman ice cream treat and, in the Olympic spirit, Harper chose to cheer "Go USA" with his red, white and blue popsicle. 

After the boys finished their ice cream, they ran to go wash off in the fountains....or so I thought.  I went to throw their wrappers away and came back to find Harper drinking from his shoe.  There are at least five different fountains surrounding him, yet he has to take off his shoe to drink???

After we dried off and changed our clothes, we headed to my grandmother's house for lunch.  While Memaw and I were fixing lunch, the boys went to my mom's side to play.  Things got very quiet...scary quiet.  All of a sudden, Harper comes back over and "all eyes were on me."  So, after all that....come on now, get happy!   

What I've Learned

We have sure had a rough end to our summer, so I apologize now if this post seems like a therapy session.  Rather than paying someone, I thought I would wrap up our summer in a blog....provide you with some entertainment, while "escaping" myself.

Harper came home a couple of weeks ago with a yucky tummy.  He puked once before bed one night...and woke up the next morning good as gold.  So, when Warren started getting sick, we didn't think a thing of it.  Fast forward five days....Warren is still puking and still has not eaten.  Before you jump to conclusions, I was keeping in close contact with our pediatrician who assured me we need not worry.  After seven straight days, we determined Warren had the same bug Harper brought home.  When Warren puked the first time, it irritated his GI tract, which caused the subsequent vomiting.

I learned a lot of things during those seven days.  I watched his little body heave and vomit for seven days. I wiped his throw up and cleaned him up and learned that it never gets any easier to watch.  I watched him pass up meal after meal. I listened as family and friends told me we needed to do something about it; we needed to call the doctor again.  I listened as family and friends told me how worried they were.  I learned that, in the end, I needed to do what I needed to do. 

Believe me, I know that we were all worried. But, if I gave in to all the worry....I probably would've curled up into a ball and just cried the days away.  We could not ask for a better, more compassionate or caring pediatrician.  After all Dr. Cornett has seen us through with Warren, we really do trust him completely.  And, more importantly, we know that if God gave us another chance with Warren after his very first incident.....then He has big things in store for him. We know Warren is in His care.

All that to say, that from before Warren was here on Earth with us, God had a plan for him. And Lord knows God has been with Warren before....and He was certainly with him this last week.  I learned to trust in God's plan and not give in to my own worry!