Update on Micah

Micah's "before" picture (right after getting in the weeds)
Micah today ...much better!
Playing "hotel" with their babies (Blair is "my baby", in the background)

Micah is doing much better! I took her to the doctor Tuesday morning and he prescribed something to take the swelling down. He said to continue to give her the anti-itch eye drops as needed. She looks good this morning, just a little swollen. She actually looks like she has a bad sunburn. She has been a trooper and has taken all of her medicine without complaints. She is usually the one to spit it out, to take 2 adults to hold her down, etc. I think it really scared her (and Tony, too) when her eyes swelled shut. We kept her in our room to sleep the past 2 nights. She slept on the baby mattress next to our bed. I hope we aren't starting a bad habit that will be hard to break. Hopefully she will go back up to her own bedroom tonight. The doctor also said that we should look into some allergy testing because of her history. She has had similar attacks with weeds, make up, and artificial cheese products as well.





Well I better get back to playing with the kids. We are playing "babies at the hotel with a gift shop & swimming pool". My kids love to pretend they are staying at a hotel. Today's hotel is located in my bedroom (last week it was in the unfinished basement). Rhett and Micah are getting their baby dolls dressed and Rhett is just telling us that he is going to get his "dirtbike" (pretend) to take his baby on a ride. I love their imagination!!!!

Tony's Last Day of Vacation

Flip following Tony into the clearing.
Micah after playing in the weeds (read below for explanation).

Linda and Flip being curious.Look at the fuzz on Flip's antlers!
Flip kept smelling Blair! He must have liked her lotion scent.
Linda kept trying to get the peppermint out of my mouth so I finally gave it to her -then she didn't want it ...women!
Flip wanting some attention!

Blair and I swimming in the pool (swimsuit compliments of Beth & Connie Spencer).
We couldn't get her to look at the camera -I think her eyes were sensitive to the sunlight.
Linda the deer with Micah, Rhett, and Greg (my dad).
Linda with Rhett, Micah and Elaine (my mom).
The Twins (Linda's 2 babies that haven't been named yet).

We spent the majority of the day at my parents house. We let the kids swim in the afternoon. Then they rode their John Deere Gator Power Wheels. Rhett is teaching Micah how to steer (she hesitates because she thinks she is going to drive it into the pond -although she is about 100 feet away)! My dad grilled pork chops and mom and I made some side dishes. Of course, the kids only at the macaroni and cheese.



Then we decided to walk down to the deer (my dad has pet deer) to take some pictures. We took some good pictures and then Tony noticed that Micah was rubbing her eyes. They (Rhett and Micah) had picked "deer plants" for the deer to snack on and I am assuming that Micah must have been allergic. Her eyes instantly swelled shut. We had to give her Benedryl and wash her off in the bath tub. We called the doctor and they told us to give her eye drops to relieve the itching. Hopefully in the morning, she will be better. She was already sleepy from not having a nap and has been asleep ever since.

By the way, I still haven't learned how to move the pictures around so right now they are not in chronological order. Most of you probably don't mind, but it is absolutely driving me nuts! I also can only do pictures at the top, and then words at the bottom. Beth, I need help with that!!!! I am serious when I say you should do a blogging class for all of us! Think about it!!

Our Mini-Vacation

Tony and I about to get soaked on a water ride.
Desiree, Micah, and Rhett on bumper cars. (It took Micah a while to figure out the point WAS to bump each other. She kept saying, "Don't Rhett!!")
Sharon, Tabby, and I on the bumper cars.
Tony driving the go cart (it looks like his body is missing!).
Micah and I on the old-fashion cars.

Micah and Herb waiting to go on the Cave Tour.
Devin, Desiree, and Rhett after the cave tour.
Desiree and Danny riding the go-carts.
Rhett and Devin riding in last place! ;)
Micah, Rhett, and Desiree on a kiddie-ride.

Our plans were to go visit my aunt and uncle in Florida for our vacation this summer, but since my mom is too sick to travel (and Tony wasn't up for a 12-13 hour car trip with 3 kids in a van) we decided to just go camping. We ended up going on a mini-vacation (3 days) to Bowling Green, KY with Tabby and Sharon and their families. We went on a boat tour through a cave, to Beech Bend Park, and the guys went to the Corvette Museum while the girls did some shopping. We rented a camper with Tabby and Sharon brought the pop-up camper. We really had a great time, although it didn't really feel like camping (we stayed on the campgrounds at the Beech Bend Park). Tony wanted to fish, but the area of Barren River where we were camping was low due to the lack of rain.

If the saying is true, "A dirty kid is a happy kid," then my kids must have been the happiest kids in the world! ;) Micah's shoes were so dirty that when we went shopping the last day, I bought her a new pair of flip flops and threw hers away. I had to use "Goo-Gone" on their legs were band-aids once were to get the dirt and grime off.

Happy Father's Day!

Daddy and Micah taking pictures of themselves.
Daddy and Baby Blair taking a nap after work.
Daddy having "play time" after baths with the girls (Rhett had fallen asleep)!
Red Power Ranger Rhett and Daddy holding Baby Blair

Daddy,

You are the best daddy in the world! You give us our baths, tuck us into bed, read us stories, pray with us, play with us, get us dressed, comb our hair, and brush our teeth. There's nothing that you cannot do (well, except put Micah's hair in a pony tail- but nobody's perfect!) We are so blessed to have you for our daddy! We hope you have a great fishing trip and catch a lot of "stripers" with Uncle Jim. We miss you and can't wait for you to come home!

"Love you to the moon and back, or at least to the grass ;)"

Rhett, Micah, and Blair

Kids Say The Cutest Things

Sharon (Tony's mom) said I should write down all the cute little words that Rhett and Micah get mixed up/say wrong. Here's a few I can think of off the top of my head:

• hup colders: cup holders


• belt seat: seat belt


• hamwiches: sandwiches


• osmose: almost


• jumpoline: trampoline


• pisduhpeared: disappeared


• sunburn: sunblock lotion

Cheerleading Doll

Tabby was going through Desiree's old toys (for a yard sale) and gave Micah this little cheerleading doll that does cute little cheers when you push on her hands, feet, and tummy. She has had it about a week and absolutely LOVES it. On the other hand, I heard Tony asking Tabby how much money would it cost for her to take it back ;). The other day in the car she was so cute singing along with it and doing her arm motions and bouncing her head. She has talent! She gets it natural ... I knew she would love cheerleading! Anyway, the cheers are so cute, I wanted to share them with you:

• "Munchkins say how do you do? We are hear to cheer for you. Yee-haw XX Woo-hoo!"
• "I stomp my feet. I boogie to the beat. I turn around. I touch the ground. I wiggle it, just a little bit."
• "Cookies, cookies, cookies & cream. What's the matter with the other team? Nothing, nothing, nothing at all. They just XX can't play ball!"
• "Riding on a donkey. Sitting on a cactus. We think your team needs a little practice. Jump in the tub, pull out the plug. There goes your team, chug, chug, chug."
• "We're #1, we can't be #2 'cause we're going beat the whoopsie's out of you, the whoopsie's out of you."

Today my mom was feeling a little bit better and wanted to get out of the house, so we took the kids to Chick-Fil-A and then to visit her dad (my Grandpa Chandler). Usually we just go inside, but he was sitting outside when we got there, so I took the kids back to the old swing set (and I mean OLD). It doesn't even have the swings on it anymore, he said it was too much trouble to mow the grass around them. Rhett loved the monkey bars and did quite well going across them. When he went down the slide, his bottom got so dirty!! He is probably the first kid to go down the slide in at least 10 years! Micah followed close behind. It brought back so many memories of playing on the swing sets and climbing the nearby tree. It was hard for Rhett and Micah to understand that I played there when I was little and that Mamaw Laney lived there when she was a little girl.

Please continue to remember my mom in your prayers. She has another Chemo treatment in the morning and it makes her SO sick for SO many days. This will be her 3rd treatment in the last 3 weeks and then she gets a week off.

Baby Dedication Day

Pastor Brian's friend Steve (who is also a pastor) did the dedication because Brian & Maria's daughter Brooklyn was also being dedicated.
I have no idea why I didn't wear GREEN. Any other time, I would have had it on. It's like a staple to my wardrobe!!!

Baby Dedication was such a special Sunday (in May 2007). I pray that we raise Blair to be all that God wants her to be. She is such a blessing and now I feel like our family is complete. We are so blessed to have 3 happy, healthy children. Rhett and Micah are so sweet and innocent. I love to hear the sincerity in their prayers! They still pray for Tony's Grandma Coomer (who passed away in November). They ask Jesus to be with her in heaven. It touches me every time!

Johnny, Blair, Brian Anthony, Micah, Olivia, and Rhett (notice Micah and Olivia are wearing the same dress!!)

I didn't blog this weekend because it was nonstop, which is typical in the Kaelin household. Friday night we went to Rachel's (well, Polly's house) for a cookout. The kids had a blast playing on the swings and neighbor's trampoline and then catching lightning bugs. It was nice to see everyone and hang out! It was supposed to be a surprise for Polly since Paul is in Africa on a mission trip. Rachel organized an "X-Files" get together for all the people who used to get together every Sunday night to watch the X-Files. There were also some friends who weren't around during those years. We had a great time!!

On Saturday, we went to the Louisville Zoo with Johnny & Cindy (& kids) but they were closing early due to a Fundraiser, so we ended up at a Lewis & Clark Festival in Old Clarksville. It wasn't as fun as the zoo would have been, but the kids didn't seem to mind. There was a professional "whip-cracker" (if there is such a thing). He was really interesting. I read later where he is in the Guiness Book of World Records.

Saturday night my brother (Damon) kept my kids, including Blair, so that Tony and I could go to a Home Show. They played dress up, Rhett in super hero costumes and Micah in princesses, and of course destroyed the house in the process. It looked like Damon must have sat on the couch and held Blair the whole time. The basement and their bedrooms upstairs were a nightmare!

Sunday we went to church (morning and evening) and Tabby, Cindy, and Beth came over to help me arrange the furniture in my basement. I'll show pictures later. That's my weekend update!

Brian Anthony's Birthday Party

Cindy holding Brooklyn and Tony holding Blair
Brian Anthony and Micah with "cookie faces"
Hopie and Rhett waiting for hot dogs

These pictures were taken at Brian Anthony's 3rd birthday party at Perrin Park. His birthday was in April. I love the one of Micah. It really shows her beautiful green eyes!

Opening Day

Just thought I would add my two cents to the new blog. I could post all the many past pictures of all the huge birds that we have taken, but...that would take all day (Ha Ha). I am a little under the weather today so I don't feel like showing off. Maybe next year.

Rhett's Wee Ones Graduation

Rhett and Micah before the Graduation started.
Rhett and some of his friends during the program.
Rhett getting his diploma from Ms. Joetta.

His graduation was the first week of May, but since I didn't blog then, I thought I would show a few pictures of his special night! He picked out his outfit (shirt & tie: compliments of Juanita & David Pierce)! He actually did a few of the hand motions in the songs and at list moved his lips with the words. This was a huge step from the Christmas program when he literally just stood there frozen like a deer in the headlights gaze for the whole time!!! Now it's off to Kindergarten ("at mommy's school"). I can't believe he is that old!

Beth, I just realized I forgot to "crop and adjust the pictures" so the quality isn't great. Remember, I am new and still learning! ;)

Dimples

Everyone comments on Blair's dimples, so I tried to find a picture that showed how cute they are! I thought I better post a picture of Blair since I have some of Rhett and Micah.

Thanks to Beth for stopping by and teaching me a few things about blogging (and for picking up some milk at the store). I think staying home this summer may be turning me into Cindy! ha! ha!

Fun in the Sun

Today we went to Atlantis Water Park with Tabby, Cindy, and the kids (Micah, Rhett, Devin, Desiree, Olivia, Brian Anthony, Kelsey, Carrie, Hopie, Caleb, and 2 friends). Tony's mom kept Baby Blair since there wouldn't be any shade. The weather was great and we had a really good time. I wish someone had taken a picture of Tabby and I going down the water slide. I am sure it was a sight to see! ;)

Micah and Rhett in the Kiddie Area

Rhett and Olivia hanging out in the tubes (neither one was tall enough to go down the slides)!

Micah and Brian Anthony posing for a picture.

Broken Toe

So I think I broke my toe Wednesday. One day last week as I was getting out of the bathtub, I hit it on the shower door. It bruised the tip and I thought it was broke, but the next day, it felt much better. Then, Wednesday as I was going to the washer to do a load of laundry, I hit my foot on the side of the computer chair and OUCH did it hurt! I could hardly walk on it and a couple of hours later it was swollen and bruised. This morning it hurt just as bad. All day long, I have been walking with a limp. Please pray that it will heal quickly (and that my kids will stop stepping on it)! I was going to post a picture, but didn't know if I would lose viewers before I really get started with this blog thing! ;) - You know how some people are about feet!!

Entering the Blogging World

I thought I would give blogging a try. I keep thinking that this may be the closest thing Blair gets to a completed scrapbook! Micah's still isn't finished and she is 3, needless to say I haven't started Blair's yet.

Just so you know, I am not great with words. I am the clear, concise, and to the point kind of writer. Some of my friends who blog have a way with words and are so witty and comical. I can't make any promises.

My goal is to keep you updated on what's going on in our daily lives. I thought this might be a good way to teach myself to become more familiar with our digital camera as well. A mom of 3 always needs to multi-task!