All Packed Up and No Where to go

We're moving. At least that is the plan.

We were suppose to move into a new house in Walhalla as early as last Tuesday but not as late as this past Monday. Right now it is late Wednesday night and the house has not passed inspection and we're suppose to be out of our current house today.

I got a phone call this morning...the phone call that I expected to get was one telling me the house passed inspection and we could start moving stuff this afternoon. Which had been the plan after we learned we wouldn't be able to move over the weekend or on Monday. The phone call instead was information that I didn't want or need to hear. The house did not pass inspection and wouldn't be reinspected until sometime on Thursday afternoon and the earliest we could expect to move in would be late Thursday.

I have traffic court Thursday at 4:30. Traffic court calls names in order starting at the letter A so I expect to be there for several hours. So I rented a Uhaul truck this afternoon. My brother in law Heath and I loaded the truck today. We loaded everything except mattresses and some clothes. Tomorrow morning Sara will take the boys to school and I will load the remaining items in the truck. We will clean the house and wait for the call that we can move in. Hopefully the call will come before I have to leave for traffic court.

Heath and Ian, a friend from work, have offered to unload the truck for me while I'm at court.

Thank goodness for friends and family.

Join Together

Joseph had a band competition on Saturday and a band concert last night. At competition on Saturday he was one of only two students in his grade/band to gain a #1 rating. When in competition you can receive a score of a 1, 2 or a 3. One is the highest. Joseph rated a 1 on his solo and for his brass ensemble.

Joseph plays the trumpet. He has been playing for two years now. He has been considering quiting band for next year. After his success on Saturday and being chosen to play in front of all the parents Tuesday night, he is now reconsidering. I think he'll go ahead and do band again next year.

Bee Boy

I think Parker is going to become Bee Boy. Just like Peter Parker became Spiderman after being bit by a spider. Parker Joel will become Bee Boy.

That's because Saturday and Sunday he was much wilder than normal. No doubt from the venom of the bee.

Needless to say, Parker is feeling fine since Friday night.

Bee Sting

It was one of those nights...I know I should have stayed home...gone to bed early. But as you can see by the date and time of this post...I'm up past midnight.

Tonight (or last night) was the Walhalla Relay for Life. Sara Beth was on a team from her school and had planned to be there all night. The kids wanted to go to the playground and Joseph wanted to go to the Relay because friends from his school would most likely be there. I decided to take them to the Relay and let them go crazy there, eat at the Relay and then head home.

I got the boys packed up in the car and we headed to Walhalla. We got to the Relay and Joseph found friends right away and Kallsen and Parker discovered a large sand box (one used for track and field events.) Everyone played until the boys got hungry. We got them sloppy joes (watching Parker eat a sloppy joe sitting on the ground is a site to see) and we enjoyed dinner.

After getting the boys cleaned up...Kallsen ran toward the bounce house. Parker and I walked together. When we got to the bounce house Kallsen had run off somewhere else. The search was on...it took probable 10 to 15 minutes to locate him...it doesn't take the panic long to set in when there is a ton of people and your three year old has disappeared.

We finally spot Kallsen running across the field. I yell. He stops. I walk up to him with Parker in tow and kneel down and explain as nicely as I can that he just can't run off like that and that Daddy worries about him. Kallsen calmly tells me he was okay and I shouldn't worry so much. I tell him that Daddy always worries about his boys...that's daddy's job.

Anyways...it is getting late and I have promised the boys they could bounce. I tell Kallsen and Parker that we will go and bounce and after that we will go home, let mommy be out with her friends and the boys can all get good sleep. They agree.

I tell Kallsen he can go ahead to the bounce house but that he needs to wait until Daddy and Parker get there so I can buy tickets and they can bounce together.

We get to the bounce and I pay the lady for the tickets and she is getting my change when Kallsen's shoes are off and he jumps into the bounce. I tell him to hang on for his brother when all of a sudden Parker starts screaming. I mean really screaming. The kind of scream that everyone knows something is not right.

I look down at Parker and he is holding his left wrist with his right hand and his left hand is balled up. I get down on my knees and gingerly pull open Parker's hand. He has a bee in his hand. I try to brush the bee away and blow the bee off of his hand. The bee would not move. All the while Parker is screaming. I grab the bee by it's wings and pull it off of Parker. Sitting in Parker's hand is the abdomen of the bee. I pick Parker up and yell toward Kallsen to come with daddy now. Kallsen can tell by the tone of my voice that this is no time to not listen to Daddy. We carry Parker over to Mommy and she removes the stinger and I carry Parker up stadium steps, across a big parking lot to my car (with Joseph and Kallsen with me) and I take Parker home.

We get home and Parker's ring finger on his left hand has swollen to triple its normal size and he is not quite with us all the way. I call my Mom and Dad and they get online and start getting remedies for me to use. I made a baking soda paste and used ice to get the swelling down and then called the on call doctor from the boy's doctors office and was advised to give Parker Benadryl every four hours.

I now have Kallsen in bed and asleep, Joseph is asleep and Parker is asleep in my bed, right behind where our computer sits, and I am checking on him every few minutes to make sure his breathing is consistent...which is what the doctor told me to do. I'm worried enough with my wife out tonight and everything else that I'm almost afraid to go to sleep. I have my alarm on my cell phone set to go off every couple of hours to make sure that Parker is fine.

I don't believe I've ever been stung and I don't remember ever having to deal with a bee sting. So tonight was a scary situation for me and for Parker. As is every situation where your child is hurting and you don't always trust yourself to do or know the right way or the best way to handle the situation.

I'm sure Parker will be alright...I still know that while Parker, Kallsen and Joseph will sleep well tonight, I will not.

A Big Day/Night

Potty training has not been the easiest task with my two youngest. Parker is still struggling with his potty training. He does well at school with his classmate and a good teacher helping. At home, however, Parker just won't use the Big Boy Potty. Even the promise of wearing BigBoyUnderwear isn't going very well. We're (my wife and I) hoping that once summer break begins she'll have the time to work with Parker and hopefully he'll be in bigboyunderweat during the day soon.

On other potty training news, Kallsen went last night with big boy underwear on for the first time over night. He did great. No accidents.

Birthday Boxing Gloves

That might just be the perfect gift for Kallsen and Parker for their birthday. Being that they are fighting all the time...or so it seems.

We're getting ready for our move from Seneca to Walhalla. That means we are once again throwing away things and downsizing our belongings. This means that the toddler beds they've been sleeping in are now gone and they are sharing a queen size bed. At least for the time being.

Every few minutes one of them or the other will come of their room and complain that the other one hit them. Then the other child comes out of the room to defend themselves saying they only hit the other because he was on my side of the bed or was touching me or something like that.

Then this morning they couldn't decide on who ate from the Sponge Bob bowl and who got the blue cup with their milk. It all leads to someone getting hit. Dad then becomes the referee.

By the way...Kallsen's birthday is July 26th and Parker's is October 5th. Boxing gloves. Head gear. Mouth guards. Joseph's birthday is August 7th. Getting him a bell to ring for the start and end of each match.

My birthday is August 12th. I need a black and white strip shirt. Double extra large.

Getting Ready to Move

We're moving next week. We're moving from Seneca to Walhalla. It is about a 15 miles move from the South Central part of Oconee County, SC to the Northwest part of Oconee County.

The move will mean that Sara Beth will have an eight mile drive to work each day versus the 16-20 mile drive she has now. With her driving the Suburban the savings on gas will be really good. She now fills the tank two or three times a month. She'll be filling the tank only once or twice a month once we move. With it taking $100 to fill a tank, that will be some savings we will feel right away.

The house we're moving to is a lot smaller than where we've been living the last year. We're losing more than one-thousand square feet in the house and going from a large yard to a very small yard. I guess the above statements are the negatives about moving. Now the positives about the move.

It will mean Sara Beth will be much closer to work. We will be living in a neighborhood with other families with kids. The cost (rent) is $450 less per month than we're paying now. The utility bills will be less per month with a new, smaller home.

I'm excited for the move because it will save a lot of money each month with rent, utilities, gas and maintenance. While I don't mind mowing the grass, I don't have maintain the yard at all. The development has someone to do that for us.

We'll post some pictures once we move in and get the house set up. We'll be packing things up over the next couple of days and start moving things end of next week. Hopefully we will be sleeping in the new house by the end of next weekend.

Kinda Chilly

Sara Beth picked up the boys from school today. She was asking them about their day and asked if they were able to play outside at all. Kallsen told her they were. Then he said they had to go inside early. She asked him why? His answer. "Because it was damn chilly."

Enough said.

They have a fever

I think my two youngest have caught the fever. Both have been acting a bit differently. Not sleeping well. A bit off their normal game.

I think this is a fever that will strike a lot of kids this year...if it hasn't already stuck'em.

Signs are pretty obvious. Lots of running. Screaming. More energy than should be allowed at bedtime. A burning desire to get outside and never come it. It can get pretty serious.

Yes...both Parker and Kallsen have come down with Spring Fever. Really. I think I feel it coming on...I might need to take some time off...

My Little Dipper

Parker loves to dip his food. It doesn't matter what he is eating...he wants to dip it in something. Problem is we don't make many meals that include something to dip or something to dip in. Parker will just dip what ever is for dinner into his drink. And that satisfies him just fine.

April...No Fooling...

Today is April Fool's Day. No fooling. My kids and I played outside this afternoon. It was a great afternoon. This morning began with rain. By this evening, it was quite nice.

We have a rose bush in our back yard. The bees were busy doing their thing, as you can see.

Parker really enjoyed looking at the Moos Moos our neighbor's have.

Kallsen enjoyed looking at the rooster and the chickens. I tried to get video of him talking to the chickens but my batteries died.

Joseph telling me stories about his playing wiffle ball at school today. And looking really cool in his shades.