.......West Virginia,

Blue Ridge Mountains

Shenendoah River

Life is old there, Older than the treesYounger than the mountains, Growin' like a breeze.

Chris has been hard at work prepping the third floor for the impending arrival of his new projector. I say impending, but really, it hasn't been ordered yet. Right, honey? You haven't ordered it yet, right? Honey???? We agreed to this......

This is a shelf that he built and then proceeded to cut a 2 foot by 2 foot hole in my wall to hang it. He plans to put stuff in here. I am not really sure what kind of stuff, but I think maybe a TIVO, a stereo, a dvd player, maybe a speaker??? I honestly don't know. The one that that I do know is I won't know how to operate any of it and will have to call him when I am home alone so he can tell me how to turn on the tv. It happens all the time. I am used to it by now. Not to say I don't get frustrated and think it is crazy that I can't operate the tvs in my house. But after 7 years together, that is just how he operates. And when I do learn how to use one of the tvs, he changes it on me, so I have given up.

This is the back side of the shelf.

Complete with a hinged door. He says so he can come in this little closet area to do something with all the wires when he needs to.

This is what Chris likes to call "the brain." The brain of what, I am not sure. I think it is the stuff that makes my computer go so I can sit in bed and blog without cables and wires and such. But really, I am not 100% sure. I just know I get upset when my internet service is interrupted.

So that is the latest on Chris's room. He is going to put molding around the shelf to pretty it up for me. Next step will probably be painting the "screen" wall navy blue. More pictures to come as he progresses.

And it all went down hill from there.....

I went to Target and bought every vapor rub type supplies I could think of and have been using them daily, nightly, you name it. But there is something about a Hamilton/Bordman ear that just cannot fight ear infections. The boys had terrible ear infections when they were babies. Ethan had at least 7 by the time he was 12 months old and by 13 months and probably the 8th or 9th ear infection I succumbed to tubes. This is his first birthday party, hot as you wouldn't believe and he had a fever of 101. I stripped him down to a diaper to help keep him cool. The next day Chris and I took him to urgent care for the final ear infection pre-tubes.

When it was Owen's turn, I didn't wait around for that many infections. He had tubes by the time he was 9 months old.

So here we go again. I had tubes in my ears at least once, my father seems to think it was twice. So maybe they get it honestly from me. An unfortunate trait to inherit, I must admit. I took her to urgent care on Monday yesterday morning and her first ear infection was confirmed.

We have the humidifier running all day, a vaporizer going, vicks on the chest and feet (thanks Vana!) and now amoxicillin. She has had 4 doses so hopefully by the morning, she will be feeling a bit better.

She did sleep better last night compared to the past week. So hopefully. Hopefully.

The boys have had runny noses and coughs too. They are getting the same treatment as Eliza sans the amoxicillin. I hate it when my babies are sick.

Funky Heart Love

I ordered this dress last week from Delaney's Delights and it came today. It is adorable on and will be one of her Valentine's outfits for February.

I told Chris I thought she needed a made to match bow.

But he walked over to her bow hanger and said I think this one and this one and this one and that one, will all match.

Ok, honey. If you say so......

Winner! Winner!

I won! I won! I won! Doesn't it always feel good to win? It's like your day is sprinkled with fairy dust.

I think we need this pettiskirt now to match our bow.

Thank you Shannon for hosting the giveaway!

I am Eliza is going to love it!

Contentment

Discovering Choos

Well, maybe they are just Robeez, but they are a new discovery to Eliza.

What are these things you put on my feet?

I like them! I like them!
Oh, you just wait, baby, there is no place to go but up from here.

To Target, to Target to Buy a Fat Pig

School is closed, Day care is closed. And I had high aspirations of taking everyone to Marbles Kids Museum or Planet Child or JumpZone; anything really to get us out of this house, but as fate would have it everyone woke up this morning with dripping noses. So instead of spending the day out and about we headed to Target for runny nose supplies.

I wasn't off to a very good start, was I?

We had a long conversation about not running, not yelling, not fighting, not listening; you name we talked about it. What it all comes down to for the boys is whether or not they are going to get a treat out of it. And I have learned that even if I say yes before the trip starts, it does not always guarantee a successful ending. And I define a successful trip to Target as one that has not elevated my blood pressure, made my knees shake or made me have to stop every 10 seconds to take a deep breath.

Today, magically was a success. Everyone listened. I think the secret is going to the store in the morning before life amps them up. But I have said it before, just when I think I have figured out a secret or a magic pill, they like to shake me up and keep me on my toes. That's what they do best. Shake me up.

So we are armed.

Out of all the children medicines out there, I have found nothing beats a humidifier and vapor rub. So hopefully everyone will be feeling better in a couple of days.

And the boys did get a treat.