wow

Ok, I let it get much worse than I ever mean to --- I haven't posted in over 2 months!!!! My goal was to get at least 2 in each month. Sorry!!!

Well, a few things have been going on, and as always, life has been busy! I'll have to keep this short b/c work is also very busy, but we have been in no shortage of interesting times around our house!

The latest issue, and currently biggest in my mind, has been my back. We didn't know I had a back problem until about 3 weeks ago when I started having an insane pain in my side that took my breath away and would make me shiver b/c it hurt so bad. 2 ER visits, a GYN visit, several sleepless nights, several days off work, and a trip to Huntsville later - we find out that it's not a kidney stone, it's not diverticulitis, it's not an ovarian cyst, and no - it's not in my head... it's my spine. Apparently I have an abnormality that has always been there, but just recently gotten irritated. The lowest few vertebrae are naturally fused together, only on the left side, and are fused to what I describe as the top of my tailbone - but my anatomy-focused mother and husband say it's actually part of the pelvis. Anyway! A nerve got mad, then muscles got mad, then I could barely walk and could barely sleep and could hardly work. Today is one week after the Ortho in Hville put shots in my lower back, and I'm happy to say the days are much better! Nighttime is still rough, and I'm still relying on some muscle relaxers and the occasional pain pill to get me through, but overall - I'm hopeful! I begin PT on monday, can't pick up the kids or exercise for 4 weeks, and may possibly have to go back for more shots - but hopefully not.

Prior to all of that drama, the other fabulous event I've neglected to document on here was Granny's 80th Birthday party! Family came from all over the united states (the family that wasn't snowed in, anyway!) Her surprise birthday party was held at the Egypt Community Rec Center - which was great - and if I'm right, every child and almost every grandchild were there! It was really an amazing day. The best part for my family was the opportunity to spend the weekend at my cousin Crystal's house. She's recently built a beautiful house with a wonderful guest bedroom with the most comfortable bed known to mankind. I was Happy those two nights!!! Also, my other cousin Bobbi spent the first night there with us, so we had such a good time letting the kids play together and cooking together and just getting to hang out and be relaxed. It was really one of those opportunities that only come up once every few years, and I So enjoyed it - I love my family! There are many pictures of this weekend on my camera, which is in my purse, but dead - so I'll have to get those up one day soon.

The other fun part about that weekend was the snow! It snowed - In Auburn! Actually, it snowed in Auburn more than it did in north Alabama, which just doesn't make any sense at all. And of course, that was the weekend we Had to travel to granny's party, so we drove in it... slowly. And of course, that was the day after I had my first visit to the ER until 3AM, so Ray packed us and took care of the boys, and did pretty much everything for me that day (and most of that weekend.) He's been amazing.

I'm sure there are more fabulous things that have gone on, but I can't think of them right now... so a quick note about the boys, and I am going to return to my endowment reporting.

Cooper just strikes me as such a little grown-up. He's like a very short teenager when he starts talking... He walks into the house after school (Ray and my parents are picking the boys up from school every day right now, until I get this back thing straight) and says very nonchalantly, 'Hey mom'. Like, he's almost too bored to be bothered to greet me, but knows that he needs to. Some of the things that come out of his mouth! He's learning the words to more and more songs - sat in PaPow's lap the other day and sang every word to Puff the Magic Dragon - and interested in more TV shows and movies, and likes to talk about everything.

Tripp is still fighting that am-I-a-baby-or-a-big-boy fight. He just can't decide if he wants you to carry him to bed and rock him like a baby, or if he wants to climb up on the stool and wash and dry his hands all by himself. Sometimes he crawls up on my shoulder and just lays there for 15 minutes sucking his thumb, and the next minute he'll run away from me when I ask for a hug and stand just out of reach grinning from ear to ear. He's talking more too - just starting to say more sentences, and loves to whisper when he repeats something. It's adorable, unless you can't hear what the heck he's saying! He and Cooper play pretty well together until Tripp gets frustrated and cries and Coop yells in his face 'Buddy! STOP CRYING!' Which happens at least once a day, even though I keep after him to stop yelling at his brother.

Ok - like I said, I HAVE to get back to work, but I'll be back within the week, and I'll put pictures up and have all kinds of fun stuff to look at - promise!