the many maxeys

Big Steps

2010-03-29T17:50:00.001-07:00

He's off. 14 months and finally walking! It was all I could do to keep up with him when he was crawling... it's going to take some serious energy to keep up now! This boy is 100% full force, non-stop, all the time. So far he's had a black eye, busted lip, broken tooth, and multiple bruises and scrapes from falls and being hit in the head with swings, toys, etc... Most of the time he just picks up and keeps right on going! It takes me, Annely Blake, and Will to corral him during the day and keep up with what he's getting into. I've got them trained to keep bathroom doors shut and things picked up, otherwise we'd find him splashing in toilets, eating tissue from trash cans, tipping over the dog bowl, ripping up the kids book and toy, and on, and on, and on,....... I'm not kidding, he's NON-STOP!!!!! He's so cute though, it's hard to stay mad :) Other than chasing him all around the house, we've also been in a battle to keep him well. Asthma, chronic ear infections and the possibility of tubes in the near future. He's a great sleeper, which is pretty much the only reason I have any time for the other two kids! Enjoy some pictures of Henry on the move........

Hello, Blog

2010-02-24T10:46:00.000-08:00

what happens when you only update your blog once a month??? you end up with tons and tons of pictures......, like these. that have to be posted. because the grandparents are screaming :) without further ado....

our new dog, Flora. yes, this is our third dog. third times a charm, right? she's pretty awesome, though. she doesn't bite, chew, bark, or jump. most of the time I don't even know she's there. my kind of dog. we took her in from a friend who found her wandering. she's cost us lots of money and we've only had her a few weeks. but the kids love her. no, take that back, they are obsessed with her. especially Annely Blake. so that makes her worth it.

our poor crooked snowman before will kicked him over.

will got a new bike for his birthday. we're working on the riding part.

we had a joint birthday party for will and henry a few weeks back. will wanted a football theme. and yes, I made the cake myself!

the two birthday boys about to blow out the candles.

a week before our joint family party, will and friend L had a joint school party as they both turned 5 together.

aren't they cute? they just had their first kiss a few days ago. I'll make sure and remind them in about 10 years when that kind of thing is reaallly embarrassing.

what do you expect with six kids under 5?

Henry's actual birthday. as you can see, he wasn't too shy about the cake.

ahhhh, he's one!!

will went up to our mountain cabin with both sets of grandfathers and matt. he called it the "guys" weekend. who let my little boy shoot a gun?

the "guys"

What a Difference a Year Makes.....

2010-01-23T02:00:00.000-08:00

One Year. Wow. It's hard to believe our little Henry-bug is one today! Words really can't express to you how glad I am it's 1/23/10 and not 1/23/09. It's been a hard year...let's just say! One year ago today I entered the hospital to deliver this little guy....running a fever and suffering from a sinus infection that had been lingering for a month and that I had already taken one antibiotic for. At 4:08 pm I gave birth to my biggest baby yet, feverish, hacking my head off, and exhausted after being up for 24 hours. He screamed solid for one hour. This may not sound like a big deal to you....."uh, Kat...babies cry." Yeah, but not ours. Ours are born quiet and just squeak and grunt. They don't scream. Well, apparently no one told Henry this. He then proceeded to stay away for almost 4 hours after birth. FOUR HOURS. Matt and I looked at each other and wondered if he'd ever go to sleep! The low-point of the day came late that night, when everyone had gone home, and I sobbed on the phone to the on-call OB begging him for another antibiotic to help me feel better. And so began a year-long journey for me. To expand, and grow as a mom, to learn things I thought I already knew, and to get rid of some of the pride of thinking I had done it "right" for the past four years with the other two. Henry changed me. Or rather, God used him to change me. Through the colic and reflux, the sleep issues, the severe post-partum depression, the health concerns with him, and so on.... I learned to relax a little, to let go of the schedule some (just some) and to trust God more. Today I celebrate surviving (Henry and Me!) a year of change and to reaching this milestone!

pictures to capture each month of Henry's life:

Happy Birthday big guy!! Here's to surviving the terrible two's with you!

Saying Goodbye to 2009

2010-01-05T17:56:00.001-08:00

2009 will go down in the record books for our family. Lots of change and lots going on. I'm hoping 2010 brings a little rest and reflection for us as we sit back and settle into life where it is right now. I'll leave you with the last pictures taken from '09: our Christmas celebrations both here and in Athens with my family. Happy New Year!!!!

'Tis the Season

2009-12-15T16:59:00.000-08:00

1. for allergies and respiratory problems and breathing treatments... 2. for school Thanksgiving programs and Will the pilgrim

3. for a busy, growing boy who is getting into everything now!

4. for getting together with family (in savannah for thanksgiving with pa pa)

5. for rides around uncle scott's farm in an electric jeep (provides hours of fun)

6. for a new experience- riding a horse for the first time! a big step for this cautious boy

7. for church Christmas pageants- bakey the barn bunny and will the shepherd

8. for gingerbread-house-making.....finger-licking good!!

9. and, for Christmas card sending...... Merry Christmas friends!

Happy Halloween!!

2009-10-30T16:43:00.001-07:00

from a cowboy, a princess, and a pumpkin!

Summer Re-Cap

2009-09-26T11:59:00.001-07:00

(if you are still reading this blog, I applaud you. I considered kicking it to the curb but there are a few *ahem* family members who would join together and all but dis-own me if I did that. so in order to stay on their good side I'll keep it going. I'm not making any promises for the future, though.)

My sister got married in August. We spent two days in Athens without our kids and it was glorious.
We took a last minute trip to the beach. The weather was perfect and we practically had the beach to ourselves as most kids were back in school.

Football season started. Like any good southern girl, I must dress my children in the colors of my team and make them pose in ridiculously humid conditions with the sun shining directly in their eyes. This picture is the result of that obligation to team.

Lastly, here is Henry at 8 months. He is getting so big I really must update on him more often. I know I am biased toward all my children being pretty cute, but oh. my. goodness. I could eat this little face up. He really is the cutest Maxey by far. I hope my other children don't hate me for saying that one day.

Q: So, Kat, when do you plan on updating the blog again?

A: Who knows?? We've got a lot of major decisions coming up and are in the middle of a particularly stressful period right now. More on that later. Just pray for us.

New Ears

2009-08-27T17:14:00.000-07:00

The long awaited tubes are in! Annely Blake handled it all very well and has been (mostly) back to her old self today. Thanks for your prayers and calls today.

(and what is it about a small child in a hospital gown that makes them so pitiful looking??)

Here's hoping for an antibiotic free fall for this one!!

Bye Bye Mullet

2009-08-23T14:15:00.000-07:00

It's gone! It's gone! I finally got tired of the mullet Annely Blake has been carrying around for months now. I hated to cut her hair since she has so little of it, but it needed to be trimmed up all around and one length. Here is the before shot...hard to believe it really was this long!!

New "do" from the back-

side view-

she seems pretty happy about it! got to make sure there is a bow in at all times so people don't think she's a boy!

front view...not bad for my first job!

Something about this is vaguely familiar....

2009-08-06T15:31:00.001-07:00

Henry - 6mos. AB- 4 mos.

In this world.....

2009-07-21T18:07:00.001-07:00

life seems to happen all too fast. there are at least two loads of laundry a day. the dishwasher gets unloaded....only to be loaded back up at the end of every day with the same dishes. the trash piles up. the moments pass by in greater speed. but...........summer's heat gives way to late nights on the porch, and chasing fireflies, chatting with the neighbors next door, sipping wine on the back patio, eating ice cream on the bench at the place around the corner. yes, they fly by......

but then, there are moments like this. when a sleepy babe can't quite finish the last sip of the bottle. and who would want to wake him? pure bliss. and the never ending questions of this curious four year old. the, "why can't I take my cars to heaven," and "why did Jesus have to die?" talking eternity with a child. the moments that matter.

suddenly, I have a momma's girl. I thought she'd never leave her daddy. she has a tender heart. caring for her two brothers in ways big and small. moments I catch when she doesn't know I'm watching her.

and he's almost a sitter! look at that smile! I can't get enough of that boy. can you? Lord, don't let me forget these moments.

June Update

2009-06-29T17:44:00.001-07:00

June is almost over and it has been busy, busy, busy. A trip to the mountains, visitors, a stomach bug and another trip to the lake with our small group. The summer is going by way too fast! We leave June a little more rested, tanned, tired (thanks to Henry and his new tooth :)) and refreshed. The pictures tell of our travels...

Mountain trip- my mom and AB walking the roads lined with blueberry bushes.... Pontoon boat ride on lake Burton with my family....

Dinner out, the five of us in the mountains........

MiMi and PaPa come to visit.......

Will and AB in the summer heat, talking about flowers and waiting on daddy to get home...

Our 2nd annual small group lake trip- staying up way too late and having way too much fun....

Will's first swimming lessons- waiting his turn- he did everything the teacher said and didn't cry a bit!!......

AB was a different story ! She cried the whole time but got in and swam a little......

Summer Lovin'

2009-05-31T12:43:00.000-07:00

Why I haven't blogged more lately

2009-05-24T11:06:00.001-07:00

Three words: lack. of. time. Yep, with three little ones all vying for my attention, there's barely enough time for dinner these days, much less the blog! Here is a little update on those three reasons why this blog has been ignored.

1. Will. Out of school for summer! Next year it's five days a week in the 4k class and then on to kindergarten. It hardly seems possible! He has been absolutely delightful these days. Full of conversation and questions, extremely helpful and obedient and so, so funny! His latest obsession is the matchbox cars and his cowboy outfit. Almost every weekend his favorite thing to do is dress up in the cowboy outfit and watch Bonanza. I'm not kidding!! His four year check up was perfect, and much to my surprise he passed his hearing screen with flying colors. I was convinced he had a hearing problem, but "4 year old boy ears" was the doctor's diagnosis :) He also landed on the charts at 97% for height for his age. We knew from the beginning he was going to be a tall one.

2. Annely Blake. Still the diva. Still throwing fits, demanding her way, wanting to do everything herself. Yes, she is definitely two. The newest thing with her is the start of potty-training!!! She is doing great! So far only one accident since we started on Wednesday! (Well, one #1 accident....the #2 is a different story :) So far that has yet to land in it's appropriate destination.) She is getting more into dress-up and still loves her baby dolls.

3. Henry. Baby Henry is continuing to keep me on my toes! This boy loves to be held and entertained. It seems like the more chaos that's going on around him, the happier he is! He's started rice cereal and bananas, which he loves, and is grabbing at rattles, going to town in the johnny jump up, and rolling over to his side. His four month check up is in a few weeks so we'll see where he is in terms of weight and length.

April....a month of celebrations...

2009-05-02T11:41:00.001-07:00

A birthday celebration for a big two year old- Happy Birthday, Annely Blake!!

BOB the Builder, live in Columbus!

Two BOB fanatics: Luke and Will-

What better way to celebrate than dancing in the aisle with your best friend?-

Getting 12 hours of sleep out of this little one!-

A new toy! Finally big enough to try the johnny-jump-up-

Annely Blake turns two!!

2009-04-17T08:26:00.000-07:00

Wow, is Annley Blake already TWO? How is that possible? I have to keep reminding myself that she's not the baby anymore. Of course, her constant chatter reminds me of that lately. She has quite the personality these days. I am so thankful that God didn't listen to me when I dreamt and hoped of raising all boys. I just knew I would be one of those moms who spent all her time at the ball park and playing "cops and robbers." Thank goodness He didn't listen and gave me the cutest, most funny, adorable, lovable little girl. So, Annely Blake, what do we love about you? You are such a great combination of "tomboy" and girly -girl. You love dress up and dolls, but you also love to play cars with Will and guns and really, whatever he is doing. You quite simply adore your big brother. Lately you have been really into your dolls, though. Pushing them in the swing, feeding them bottles, putting diapers on them, and taking them with you everywhere. You'll be the best little mommy one day, if you choose to be. You look just like your daddy and it's no question you have him wrapped around your finger. But, even though you look just like him, you do have your momma's personality and temper and patience (or lack of.....) You will say "hi" to anyone, even strangers, wave at everybody in the store, stop people and tell them all about your little brother, and bring me the phone all day long wanting to call people and have long conversations. Oh, you have quite a little personality! We can't wait to watch you grow up and help take care of your little brother and become a little lady. I am so glad that when these boys grow up and fall in love and move on, that I'll have you to still come around and talk to (hopefully :)) We love you, little princess! Happy 2nd Birthday!!!!!

Annely Blake- April 18th, 2007 7lbs 13oz
First birthday- celebrating in Charleston with the great-grandmother you were named after

and today......with just enough hair to finally get a bow in!!

Dear Henry,

2009-04-15T17:37:00.000-07:00

If ever there was a time I wish babies could talk it would be now. I'd want you to tell me why you cry a lot, and if you're hurting. Is it the reflux, buddy? Or do you get sad when mommy leaves the room. Because you sure are happy as long as I'm holding you. I can't figure you out, Henry. You don't really look like your brother and sister, and you certainly don't act like they did. You were cut from a different mold! But, you sure are cute. And I especially love that you're starting to laugh at me, and I just about melted into a puddle the other day when I saw you sucking your thumb. None of my other ones did that. The doctor said you must be some kind of baby, and super laid back. She said she's never seen a baby with your reflux symptoms who doesn't cry day and night. I can't complain because you're a great sleeper! I just wish I knew what was bothering you during the day. I'm more attached to you than I was your big brother and sister. Maybe it's all of your "issues." Or maybe because our relationship got off to a rocky start. Either way, I'm going to be real protective of you, so get used to it. I love you, baby Henry.

Easter

2009-04-12T13:35:00.000-07:00

He is risen, He is risen indeed!

Scenes from our Easter Sunday celebration....

Annely Blake checking out her easter basket in the morning Will was happy to find m&ms......

eating lunch on the church grounds-

baby Henry, look at those precious bunny feet!-

Will and Luke before the hunt-

I think she had one egg in her basket-

Will and his friends-

the five of us after church-

Happy Easter!!!!!!!

grumpy old men

2009-04-06T06:03:00.000-07:00

Henry- 10 weeks, Cal- 12 weeks Aren't they cute?!!

Month Two

2009-04-03T11:09:00.000-07:00

Well, month two around here certainly was a lot easier than month one. We are settling into a little routine, and getting more sleep (which doesn't hurt anything :) and really starting to enjoy having more kids than hands! Our March was a busy month, though, and I've included a collection of pictures from our travels and happenings.

Henry at 8 weeks- Aunt Lori and Henry in Savannah

Cousins- AB and Tyler-

Pa Pa, Matt and Brandon in Sav.

St Patty's Day Parade-

Celebrating my 30th Birthday in Athens-

Atlanta Zoo with KK and Poppy-

Will at Columbus Air Show-

Henry's baptism 3/29/09

It was one year ago today.....

2009-03-12T09:54:00.001-07:00

that I rushed our sick little girl with blue, cold extremities first to the doctor and then straight to the hospital. The events of that day are fresh on my mind and I doubt I'll ever forget the details. Our pediatrician still calls her his "mystery patient" as he has never seen anything like it in all his years of practicing. We are so thankful she's healthy today and I'm thankful I'm not in the hospital right now!

scroll down for another new post!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Gearing up for spring

2009-03-12T09:43:00.001-07:00

I think I may have been a little too excited about spring. At our first hint of a warm day, I took all the kid's winter clothing out and put all the spring/summer stuff in. What will they wear when that late cold snap that the south always gets arrives? Anyways...some pictures of us playing outside when it was 80 degrees a few days ago.

and lastly, this smile makes it all worth it! (and it doesn't hurt that he's now sleeping 8+ hours a night!!!)

Snow in Columbus!

2009-03-01T17:05:00.001-08:00

We had snow here today! This is quite a rare sight....in the 6+ years Matt and I have lived here we've only seen flurries a few times. So, to get 4 inches today was so exciting...especially for the kids! They had fun building a snowman, throwing snowballs, sledding, and we even had hot chocolate. We took lots of pictures as we probably won't see this again for a long time.

One Month

2009-02-24T12:21:00.001-08:00

Without going into too much personal detail, this has quite possibly been the longest month of my life. The combination of having three kids under four, the stages of life they are in, and my own personal struggles have all joined force to keep me barely hanging on. But, I am slowly emerging and starting to breathe again, and enjoy this crazy life we're living as it will pass too quickly and I will find myself with nice furniture and a clean house that is a little too quiet one day. I remind myself and Matt of this frequently. That one day we will look around and miss the milk stains from dropped sippy cups, and the million puzzle pieces scattered on the floor, and the quiet of 3 am when the world is asleep except for you and a warm little baby, and the crying and crying and crying.

So, enough of that! Pictures.....

Bath time....

sweet little baby Henry- in his bouncy seat that gets hours of use each day :) quite a view from this little throne of his.

the little diva who is aware that she is turning two sometime soon.....

and, my big four year old. who gives me hope that these crying babies will one day grow up and ask me funny questions, and buckle themselves in their own car-seats, and (sometimes) go in the potty on their own. oh, what a day!

Finally....some pictures!

2009-02-18T12:08:00.000-08:00

My camera is back! I won't post all the pictures I've taken to make up for not having any for two weeks...but I will post a few to show you what we've been up to lately. Will turned 4 last week and we celebrated over the weekend! Henry will be 4 weeks on Friday (hard to believe), and things have been CRAZY around here. I thought going from 1 to 2 kids was hard but this is unbelievable! I can't wait for some warmer weather so I can throw the older two outside :)

Baby Henry....2 weeks old

Will's cowboy hat birthday cake (sorry so small)- lovingly made by miss Bridget!
Will at his party

His cowboy outfit he got from my parents...every waking moment is spent dressed up in this

Can't leave out the cowgirl!

and because he's changing every day....another picture of baby Henry taken last night

To Will-

2009-02-11T11:09:00.001-08:00

Happy 4th Birthday! It's hard to believe we became parents four years ago today! You have grown into such a big boy. You love cars, trucks, guns, blocks, puzzles, sharks, cranes, books, running outside, and being a great big brother. We love you!!! Here are some pictures through the years.....my how you have grown!

February 11, 2005.....5:38pm. 6lb, 12oz, 20inches... Will turns one! (and had croup that day too...)

Will at two...and almost a big brother for the first time!

Will at three....

and today! The big 4 year old...still has those same blue eyes and dark curly lashes. :)

Yes, we are still here

2009-02-04T13:47:00.000-08:00

We are not drowning under the weight of three kids....my camera has malfunctioned and is being fixed by Cannon. I haven't updated, thinking that people would much prefer pictures of the kids vs me just "talking." We are adjusting well and are still enjoying the added help of family here. Matt's parents arrived Monday and are leaving Friday. We will then officially be on our own to manage our 3. Henry is doing great, and I take everything back I said about him being fussy. He is most definitely NOT fussy. In fact, sometimes I forget he's even around. Most of his awake time is spent in the bouncy seat on the floor watching quietly the chaos that's ensuing around him. He usually doesn't make a peep, unless he's hungry, in which case he wails very loudly. He is by far my most alert baby, (and the loudest), which may be why I jumped the gun calling him fussy. He is still spitting up a TON, but I am watching him closely and it doesn't seem to be bothering him. Will and Annely Blake are both adjusting in their own ways. Will for the most part has ignored Henry and has been very helpful in fetching things for me when I need them. Annely Blake is a different story. She spends most of the day following me around the house crying, which after a morning listening to it makes me want to join her. I'm getting decent sleep....Henry gets up 2-3 times a night, which is do-able for now. We celebrate Matt's 30th birthday last night and will celebrate Will's 4th next week. Hopefully my camera will be back by then! Just wanted to let you all know we are still alive and give a little update.

More Henry

2009-01-25T13:55:00.000-08:00

Henry is home!! I am soooo glad to be out of the hospital and back with my family! Henry is doing well, and we are adjusting to having 3 kids now. Below are some pictures of the first days of Henry's life. So far, in addition to looking different than his siblings did at birth, his personality seems to be not quite so laid back as the other two either. :) He is a fussier, more temperamental baby and we're also dealing with what we think is a possible reflux issue. Pray for us as we get to know our son and seek to meet his needs along with our other two. Enjoy the pics, I'm sure there will be more in the days to come!

Henry Arrives...!!

2009-01-23T18:21:00.000-08:00

Well, Katherine gave me instructions to place some pictures of our new little guy on the blog, so here goes. Henry Middleton was born today, January 23rd, @ 4:08 p.m., weighing in at 8 lbs. 12.7 oz, and 21 inches long. Katherine and Henry both did fantastic, and the birth could not have gone more smoothly. We are not sure who he looks like, but Katherine is elated that at least one out of our three children has brown hair like her! I think he looks a little like his mommy too!

Enjoy the pics. More to come in the next few days.

Matt

The countdown begins

2009-01-19T06:27:00.001-08:00

Hello all-

Unfortunately I do not have any pictures to post. I have been using the last few weeks to clean my house, prepare food for the freezer, run last minute errands, visit the doctor, etc... all in preparation for a new baby who's arriving soon. For those of you who don't know, we are heading to the hospital this Friday (1/23) to induce labor if he's not here by then. My due date is Sunday, and since my doctor is on call all w/e it just makes sense to go ahead and do it Friday so he can be there all w/e to check on me. We were both hoping for a natural start to labor but it looks as if that is not the plan :) Either way we're ready and looking forward to meeting our son. I have a feeling this will be the last post before he arrives. I (or Matt) promise to update as soon as he gets here, be that tomorrow or Friday. Until then,...happy MLK day!

Waiting..

2009-01-10T12:08:00.000-08:00

Yes, I'm still here, still very pregnant, and playing the waiting game. (A game I'm not very good at I might add.) Other than the count down to becoming a family of five, we're all just trying to stay well around here. Last week it was fever and pink eye for Annely Blake, this week I've been fighting some terrible infection that seems to have settled in my throat. Matt made the comment today, "wouldn't it be nice to have one week where all four (soon to be five) members of our family are well?" I said, "yeah, we can dream, right? :)) Anyways, I'll leave you with a few pictures of the past week or two....gotta keep the grandparents happy, right? Until next time, we'll be here just waiting.....

the house Matt and Will constructed with Will's lincoln log set from Christmas Will and AB watching out the window at the yard crew across the street....how cute?!

Annely Blake with a bow in her hair (finally!) I thought she looked particularly grown up here- sniff, sniff.

Christmas 2008

2008-12-27T17:44:00.000-08:00

Scenes from our Christmas celebration. This might be my longest post yet (as in pictures). It takes too long to upload them to picasa web so prepare to scroll a while. Hope you all had a Merry Christmas!

Our table- set with the china my grandmother gave me when we married. The kids' loot. Santa brought AB a princess dress, shoes, and baby doll. Will got a t-ball set, truck with a crane, and they both get to share some new chalk and play-dough.

AB practicing her "mothering" skills.

I asked Will what his favorite present was and he said the crane. He has a slight obsession with cranes and trucks.

Second favorite present. A book with "Toy Story", "Cars", and "Nemo" stories.

My mom reading a book to AB.

Dad relaxing.

Will's cousins gave him some cars and trucks with a road mat.

Princess crown and jewelry she wanted to wear ALL day. :)

Puzzle. Something we've found he's really good at!

The Zevac's came over that night to eat dinner with us. Will and Luke had fun their style. With wrestling, fighting and chasing!

The Zevac/Maxey group.

Attempting to get a shot with all of us and the kids.

Our four.....soon to be five!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-23T10:03:00.001-08:00

(we decided not to do Christmas cards this year since we will be sending out birth announcements soon after #3 gets here. consider this your 2008 Maxey Christmas Card!)

MERRY CHRISTMAS! LOVE, MATT, KATHERINE, WILL AND ANNELY BLAKE

Small Group Party

2008-12-22T04:22:00.000-08:00

We had our small group party Friday night. Dinner with NO kids, then more fun at the Trammells' house afterwards. We look forward to this every year! Here is our group, minus a few who couldn't make it....... the only picture I got of the night! If I hadn't mentioned before, this is our "family" here in Columbus. We love these guys!!!

make sure you scroll down for pictures from our georgia aquarium trip last week.....

Georgia Aquarium

2008-12-22T04:07:00.000-08:00

We took a trip last week to the Georgia Aquarium. It's great to be able to do these little day trips with the kids....we were back early afternoon after three hours at the aquarium. Will had the best time of all, he did NOT want to go home and started crying when it was time to leave.

Open tank with hammerhead sharks and sting rays you could touch.... Annely Blake checking things out......(my mom was able to meet us there too!)

Meeting Depot, the mascot fish of Georgia Aquarium

Underwater tunnel with sharks and sting rays swimming above....

Sting ray..........

More deep sea fish.....

Part of the tropical divers section......fish from the coral reef (my favorite...the colors were amazing)

Sea otters.........

Sitting pretty with KK....

On the way home....

A Christmas Story...

2008-12-17T03:37:00.000-08:00

....as told by a rooster named Will. (Warning- this post will be low on inspiring words. The pictures should make up for that though. We just had the stomach bug tear through our house with a vengeance. Yes, all four of us. Fortunately we are on the mend now.)
The following are a few pictures from Will's participation in our Church's Christmas Nativity play this past Sunday.

Enjoy!!

Will as the rooster... I have not laughed so hard in a long time. Quite possibly one of the funniest things I've ever seen :) back view...

Some of the barnyard animals......note Will and best bud Luke were roosters together. Hilarious!

A couple of cows and a cute little mouse....

Rest of the animal crew......

Tomorrow is our family trip to the Georgia Aquarium. Can't wait! Pictures to follow!

My two groovy elves!

2008-12-13T11:13:00.001-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Getting in the spirit....

2008-12-11T12:17:00.000-08:00

The Christmas spirit, that is. Tree decorating, house decorating, parties....it's all begun! Here are a few pictures from our trek downtown last week for Columbus' first annual "ring in Christmas" production. It was quite comical how our town decided to do that. "Reindeer" promised turned out to be a fenced in area of grazing deer. "Snow" was dispensed in 5 second spurts from a "snow-blower" (if you could call it that), spraying the kids with minuscule specks of some unknown white substance. A huge, lit, Christmas tree, with a nearly five foot section of lights missing from the top. Ahhh, Christmas Columbus style. It made us laugh :)

Annely Blake posing in front of some sort of light display. Please notice the hazardous wire and electrical cord. A nightmare when you have Will and his friend Luke running around at full speed. Snow. Can you see it? We couldn't either. But the kids thought it was great!

Posing in front of the tree. A near miracle we got them to hold still and smile.

Our small group kids. Or most of them. Maggie dashed away at the last minute, and Klein was taking a break. We're adding two more in January...making the adults officially out-numbered. YIKES!!

And finally, our tree. I love how it fits in the corner of our small but cozy dining room. I love that when we eat Christmas dinner it will be just feet from us, with all of it's smells and colors. We are staying put this year. My parents will be joining us for a few days, and our dear friends the Zevacs will be eating Christmas dinner with us. I can't wait! Merry Christmas everyone!

Room Reveal

2008-12-09T10:06:00.000-08:00

Well, it's finally here. The moment I've been putting off since we found out baby #3 was on his way. Moving Annely Blake into Will's room. The unknowns of putting the world's best sleeper together with the child who gets sick every two weeks and sleeps as light as a feather was terrifying to me. Unfortunately, with a 3 bedroom house, we didn't have much choice! So, several months ago, the work began. Paint was applied, mattresses purchased, a hand-made bookcase completed, and finally it was done! Last week we took the plunge and Annely Blake and Will spent their first night together in their new room. We've had a few rough nights since then, but are hoping most of the kinks get worked out before the baby gets here. Here is the progression of the room change:

primer going on....goodbye hunter green walls! new paint up, mattresses in

completed bookcase with 4 coats of white paint!!

their little reading corner

the beds all made up (I'm beginning to see that I must like bright colors :)

Annely Blake all tucked in for her first night....she looks so small in that big bed :(

nighty night!

Stay tuned for additional pictures of the beautiful black and whites my mom did of each kid hanging over their beds!

Thanksgiving 2008

2008-12-06T10:24:00.000-08:00

Yes, I know Thanksgiving was last week. Please forgive my tardiness in blogging about it. I'm 8 months pregnant...cut me a little slack! The week started off in Athens visiting my parents for a few days, then we headed to Savannah for the rest of the week. Thanksgiving dinner was at Matt's sister's house (Lori) and was delicious as always! Will and Annely Blake had way too much fun with their cousins that they don't get to see nearly enough. And, we had the pleasure of getting together with some old friends from high school (matt's) and college (ours). Unfortunately I was a do-do and didn't pull the camera out to take one single picture. :( We got back Sunday afternoon and it's been a whirl-wind of a week since then. I'll be blogging more about whats been going on around here.....including the completion of Will and AB's shared room, moving her over into the big girl bed and all the fun that came with that :) and our Christmas decorating. Our weekends from now on are pretty much consumed with getting last minute projects done and cleaning and organizing closets, clothes etc....all in preparation for baby #3 who is arriving next month!

Here's the link for Thanksgiving pictures...

http://picasaweb.google.com/katmaxey50/Thanksgiving08

Wiggly Party

2008-11-18T10:24:00.001-08:00

Matt and I took the kids to see The Wiggles in Atlanta on Sunday. We made the trip with the Trammell family. Whew! What a day! 2 hour trip there, 1 1/2 hour show, dinner at a Mexican restaurant at 8pm, 2 hour ride back, (did I mention all 8 of us crammed into the minivan?) Kids to bed at 10:30. Then, 20 minutes after we got Will down he threw up all over his bed, den carpet, and kitchen floor. We spent the next hour washing sheets, mopping the floor, scrubbing carpets, and bathing him. A little too much Wiggly fun for him! Here are the pictures from our day:

Patiently waiting outside for Wiggles to start-

Trammells-

Getting a little antsy-

More waiting-

Here they come! Toot toot chugga chugga big red car! Fruit salad- yummy yummy

On the way home......all wiggled out!

"mommy, will you take our picture?"

2008-11-13T10:48:00.000-08:00

will I take your picture? are you kidding....of course!

Sewing Storm

2008-11-07T10:51:00.001-08:00

My latest creation for Annely Blake. I really took my time on this one and focused more on "quality" versus "getting it done fast." (For those who don't know me well, let's just say I don't have a whole lot of patience :)) If the finish line is in site I'm usually in a race with myself to get there. It's all about completing the task for me. So, anyways, I really pushed myself this time to slow down and be a little more precise in my cutting, pinning, and sewing. I think it paid off. I'm overall very please with the results. This pattern was one of the more difficult ones I've done and I also sewed my first zipper (not as hard as I thought), used interfacing for the first time and did more difficult tucks and gathers. I'm not sure if it's the cut of the dress, or the color fabric but Annely Blake looks like a little prairie girl in it :) I'll have to post some more pics when I actually have her in it. Since taking these I also added some ribbon trim to the sleeves, and tacked the collar down since it was sticking up when she wore it. Also, just so you know, in the second picture it looks like the left sleeve is a whole lot bigger than the right...not so. It's just the way the camera took the picture- I promise, they're even!

back view front view.... (only thing I'd do different next time is choose lining fabric that wasn't white :)

Carpenters

2008-11-02T17:12:00.000-08:00

I'm super impressed with my husband and his friend David's wood-working abilities. Here is a picture of the bookcase they built yesterday for the kids' room. Impressed too, aren't you? I'll post another picture when it's painted and up in the room. Contact David Zevac to order yours today :)

Twins?

2008-11-02T05:53:00.000-08:00

No. But they sure could pass for brothers!

Halloween Fun

2008-11-01T10:46:00.001-07:00

Our Halloween this year was lots of fun as usual! Our small group came over here and we took on our neighborhood for trick-or-treating. Then we came back to the house and enjoyed an incredible dinner and let the kids play. It's not Halloween without letting the kids stay up way too late and eat more candy than their supposed to, right? Enjoy the pics...

The cowboy and the ladybug Annely Blake was a trooper all night, despite an ear infection and 103 temp

The two best buds- that inseparable pair of Lukester and Willster

I tried to get all the kids in the picture but you know how that goes

Riding in style- that's what I call front door service!

Our crew heading down the street

I think Will is trying to tell me something....

2008-10-28T16:34:00.001-07:00

I had no part of this. Really. I just walked in the other day and saw it sitting there. And he didn't even tell me he did it. We all had a good laugh about this one.

Growing up is hard to do.....

2008-10-21T18:40:00.000-07:00

They grow up so fast. How many times have you heard that one? Our two seem to be growing and learning at lightning speed these days. I guess someone told them to grow up and get out of the way....there's a baby coming soon :)

Little princess has entered and taken over toddler-hood. I can't keep up with her word count, it grows every day. She's also started counting, singing ABC's, picking out her "shoosh" each day, and giving her brother a run for his money. We couldn't have been given a more perfect girl to sandwich between two boys. She don't take nothing from nobody :) Here she is in the big girl bed. We're getting her used to this before we move her next month into a twin bed in Will's room. So far she's taken to it wonderfully, and even stays in her bed after she wakes and sings and talks. We can't believe she's not going to be the baby much longer :(

Will. Oh, Will. Ever the handful, but definitely not a baby any more. I've realized somewhere between 3 and 4 he went from toddler to "boy." And boy he is. Our conversations are both hilarious and deep these days. He has an insatiable curiosity, and like his father, asks "why" 4+ million times a day. He's doing great in school, has memorized the pledge, and is recognizing letters and will be reading before we know it.

This is at school where we went to eat lunch with him on the playground. We are thankful he loves school and has learned a great deal about responsibility, and being a good friend.

And finally, speaking of growing. Our newest one at 26 weeks. Just over three months until the newest little guy arrives. Has it really been 4 years since we had a baby boy in the house?

Lately

2008-10-07T10:34:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't been very good about blogging lately. Just blame it on being pregnant and lazy. These last picture were taken two weekends ago at the UGA/BAMA game in Athens. Not a great game, mind you, but we had a good time tailgating. Matt and I will be busy in the next few months transitioning Annely Blake into Will's room. We're adding twin beds, a new bookcase, and painting and sprucing it up, hoping they will share nicely the space that has been all Will's for the past year and a half. Here's to hoping for a smooth transition :)

Anyways... pics from the game:
Uncle James in the red pants- Annely Blake's favorite person in the whole wide world-

Me with the kiddos-

Will was in some kind of mood that day-

and lastly, the cutest 17 month old I know :)

What do we do...

2008-09-24T10:57:00.001-07:00

when Will's in school, you might ask?

Well, today we played outside.... (with my $6 attic sale find!) did mountains and mountains of laundry...

AB got stuck and spent ten minutes trying to figure out how to get down....

she finally whined enough and I helped her out....

Other things accomplished on the to do list:

-sorting through AB's summer clothes and boxing some of them up

-getting fall clothes out and in the drawer

-working on Beth Moore homework

On the menu tonight: corn and potato chowder to celebrate the cool, breezy weather!

Next up: packing and getting ready to head to Athens for the weekend for the UGA/Bama game! Go Dawgs!!!!!

Attic Sale

2008-09-16T15:49:00.000-07:00

If anyone is wondering where I am, it's Attic Sale time again. Come on down and visit me and purchase some good deals! I'm in the Men's Department again (otherwise known as the arm pit of attic sale), so come say Hi.

Friday night 6pm door busters: $10 admission and double prices
Saturday 8am $1 admission

Will be blogging more next week.

Boy oh Boy!

2008-09-11T08:40:00.001-07:00

Meet our newest little guy:

We are thankful for a perfectly healthy ultrasound report! Can't wait for him to join us in January!

Mountain Trip 08

2008-09-04T16:16:00.000-07:00

We were able to spend a few days last week relaxing at my family's mountain cabin. The weather was fabulous! Matt did a little work with my dad around the property with the chainsaw, and caught a few fish at the pond with Will. We took many walks and saw some deer, but much to Will's disappointment, no bears. I took a bunch of pictures so I included the link if you want to view them.

http://picasaweb.google.com/katmaxey50/MountainTrip08#

My New Ride

2008-09-02T13:58:00.001-07:00

Otherwise known as DOC (death of cool). There she is. She sure was great when we went out of town last week. Never thought I'd be so excited about a minivan.

The latest from around here....

2008-08-26T13:43:00.001-07:00

Thanks to Fay, this is what it's been doing here since Saturday..... Had our small group over Saturday night for our annual kick-off. here are some of the kids:

some of the adults:

and our fabulous shrimp boil dinner, courtesy of my hubby:

thought it was funny that one of my kids pulled this book off the shelf. how did they know?

and finally, a completed outfit for Annely Blake. although cute, the belly is not really supposed to show. (note to self...cut out larger size next time)

School

2008-08-19T10:59:00.000-07:00

School started yesterday for Will. Here are a few pictures from his first day!

Lazy Summer Days

2008-08-14T18:39:00.001-07:00

Not much to say. Just a bunch of pictures from the past week, winding down our summer. We have a lot to pack in before fall starts.

Here we go....

Hollywood Connection with the kids plus bff Luke

We're doing some updating to our house, starting with replacing the toilets. Walker came to help.

the shiny new throne

another catfish baseball game-

playing outside in the mud-

dirty girl-

Countdown....

2008-08-08T06:45:00.001-07:00

to school. One week and counting! Will starts pre-school on the 18th, going three days a week this year. Summer seems especially hard when school and church activities are on hold and I'm looking for something to do every day. This week we've been busy with playgroup, pool, and park. Here are some pictures from our (hot) morning at the park watching the ducks.

There was one room....

2008-07-30T18:57:00.000-07:00

in my house that was just for me. The "adult" room in our house. Reserved for adult things. Like my weekly ladies Bible study meetings, or small group get-togethers. Or for a minute or two of escape for me...with a cup of coffee and maybe a magazine. The one room in our house in which the carpet wasn't covered with juice stains, and vomit stains, and dog stains, where the couches and furniture were always perfectly dusted and pristine, and where I could, for a few seconds, forget that the rest of the house was in need of some serious cleaning. I'm referring to my living room. The long forgotten room of today's house. I've held on to it fiercely, wanting one whenever we do make the move up for more space, despite Matt's protests that "it never gets used." Well, it does....by me. Multiple times a day. It's MY retreat. Well....it was my retreat.

Cooking dinner. House is too silent. Go to check on kids. This is what I find......

That would be potting soil. Thrown all over the living room carpet. From my African violet I've had over a year. Yep. That's right. Words don't even begin to describe. So what do I do? Grab a camera of course....and laugh. It was better than crying. The guilty parties.

Life is never dull around here. Guess I'll be locking myself in the bathroom from now on for a little piece and quiet.

Up and Running...

2008-07-24T06:11:00.000-07:00

Several weeks with no internet connection coupled with a week long vacation to the beach have left me out of cyber-world for a while! To see what we've been up to this month, click here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/katmaxey50/July2008

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer! Better go.... off to the pool to cool down!

Our Big News.....

2008-06-24T09:23:00.001-07:00

We're having baby #3!!

What everyone wants to know-

Status: 9weeks, 2 days

Due Date: late January

How I am feeling: blah

Will we find out what we're having: of course, I can't stand surprises!

Things I Love...

2008-06-23T10:21:00.001-07:00

Will sitting quietly in the living room reading his new Peter Rabbit book

Annely Blake lovin' on her baby doll

That hair!

This and That

2008-06-18T18:49:00.001-07:00

Warning: picture overload

Well, I have no excuses for my lack of posting over the past few weeks. Except that we've had a lot going on, some of which I'll be sharing below. VBS has consumed my mind and time this week so I guess that's my excuse for today :) I'll hit the high points of what we've been up to lately.....

1. Small group get away to the lake without the kids. Obviously had to come first. How many chances do you have to get away with 9 of your closest friends at a gorgeous lake house, staying up way too late, playing games and fighting during them, laughing a ton, playing guitar hero, baking in the sun, and not stopping one minute to wipe a nose, change a diaper, stop a fight or in general think of anyone else's well being for two solid days?

Our group: l to r- Walker, Susie, Sarah, David, Bridget, Steve Ryan, Ashley, Nathan

The Lake House- as you can see, it could have been a little more spacious :)

Where we spent most of the day:

David showing off:

2. Annely Blake is walking!! Not all the time, but enough :) Finally, my back can take a rest!

And, as I mentioned before, VBS is this week. We started it off with a moon-walk. Will wasn't too sure.

I'll try to do better about the posting. Seeing as how I'm quick to point out when others have fallen behind :)

A Week of Firsts

2008-06-04T11:02:00.001-07:00

It's been a week of firsts for Will. Instead of being smart and spreading all this fun stuff out over the summer, we're cramming it in, day after day. What will we do next month when we've run out of new and exciting?

No firsts for her.....just a cute picture! First time fishing.

And he caught one on the first cast!

First time on a paddle boat. (I love the look of trepidation he and Luke have :)

First time "practicing" on daddy's trumpet.

First baseball game. Columbus Catfish vs Savannah Sandnats. They ain't the Braves... :)

Snacks are always good.

Meeting a Catfish player, Ozzie, who signed a fly ball for Will. He now sleeps with the ball in his bed every night.

Summer Begins

2008-05-28T16:34:00.001-07:00

Well, not officially, but around here it has. End of school means start of summer when a pre-schooler is involved. I've been thinking of everything possible to do to get out of the house and keep my kiddos occupied. Library, museum, park, pool, Publix. Publix? Yes...desperate times call for desperate measures. I am that weird woman who looks forward to going to Publix to push my kids in the oh-so-friendly "car" cart while Will chomps on a cookie and I stroll the cool air-conditioned ailes. Even if I don't have to actually buy anything. Today I just knew if I spent one more second cooped up in the house with my two I was going to scream. So I got the bright idea to head downtown to the River Walk and take along Will's best bud, Luke. Who cares that the humidity was 900%? And it was close to 90. Will and Luke had a good time and burned off steam (literally) before dinner. Tomorrow it's off to the pool, then another play date on Friday morning. See? I wasn't kidding.....we're looking for anything to do.

Sharing a word...

This is what you get when you ask them to smile...
Checking out a lizard...

Annely Blake didn't do too much.

View of the new shiny Synovus building from the river

Part of an old mill on the river....

Look, Luke, a rock!

Just for Fun

2008-05-23T13:44:00.000-07:00

Some people (my parents) are screaming for more pics. So, here you go.

Peekaboo! Look bored. Look very, very bored.

Give me a kiss Annely Blake.

Are you ever going to walk Annely Blake?

camera practice

2008-05-17T18:52:00.000-07:00

I got a little camera crazy today while we were outside. Here are some of my favorites...

Annely Blake has a new face!

Will helped Matt in the yard all day....

Happy Mother's Day (late)

2008-05-15T10:21:00.000-07:00

My old camera was dying, as evidenced by the pink fuzzy line around all of my pictures.

This is what I got for Mother's Day this year:

These are some of the pictures I took today....

Thanks mom! I love it!

look who got skinned today!

2008-05-14T10:41:00.000-07:00

Celebrating May

2008-05-06T07:21:00.000-07:00

The weather has been so nice around here we've pulled out the baby pool and slip-n-slide! I took these a few days ago when it was 82 degrees....

and click here for pics from last night's 5th of May celebration at the Trammell's:

http://picasaweb.google.com/katmaxey50/Cincodemayofun

Little Princess

2008-05-02T06:19:00.000-07:00

Stats for Annely Blake who went for her one year check-up this week.
Weight: 21 lb 3oz
Length: 28.5 inches
teeth: 8!
I checked just to be sure, because I thought I remembered Will being slightly heavier than she at one year, and he had reached her length at 7 months and her weight at 9 months! What she lacks in size she makes up for in personality, though! Her new name is going to be "banshee" because she delivers this unbelievably high ear piercing screech any time she's mad or excited. She says "da da, ma ma, nigh nigh, down, do (dog) and bye bye." She's still not walking, although she's getting close, and she's a great sleeper if you can get her down for the night :) So..... that's all I have for the 2nd member of our family. Will wanted his picture taken too. It's not often I can get him to look at the camera and smile so I took advantage of it.

Charleston/Savannah Pictures

2008-04-27T18:56:00.000-07:00

photos from our trip......in no particular order:

http://picasaweb.google.com/katmaxey50/CharlestonSavannah

Coastal Tour

2008-04-24T06:30:00.000-07:00

We're back from our week-long vacation along the coast. First stop was Charleston to visit my grandmother and have her meet her namesake for the first time. We celebrated AB's birthday with her, my family, my dad's two sisters, and 20+ other people my grandmother invited to the celebration. (not kidding...my Grandy can throw a party:) Sunday we headed to Savannah for a three day visit with Matt's family and another birthday party for AB and Pa Pa, who turned 66 the day before AB turned 1! We're exhausted after hours and hours in the car but it was totally worth it. I really can't believe my baby is 1 now. If the first year goes by fast with the first kid, it goes by twice as fast with the second. I'll have to upload all the photos from our trip. We were quite busy at both locations and the kids did great staying up waaay past bedtimes and skipping naps etc.... It's good to be back now, although I'll be busy for weeks tackling laundry and writing thank you notes. So long for now!

Up and Running!

2008-04-12T18:11:00.000-07:00

Finally....

We're back with pictures:

http://picasaweb.google.com/katmaxey50/Last3weeks

Those are a collection of pictures from the past few weeks, including Easter. It has been a busy few weeks so maybe it was good that I didn't have the computer to distract me :) We are still waiting on our appointment date for Egleston for Annely Blake. We saw the allergist on Friday and found she is highly allergic to eggs. So that means no eggs and nothing with eggs baked in them. Yikes! I'm on a quest for an egg-free birthday cake recipe. Anyone out there with a good one? Other than her medical issues, she is now in the midst of major separation anxiety, (mainly concerning me), and has started to scream at night when we put her down. She even cries when Matt holds her. I never had to deal with this with Will, (of course :)) "To rock or not to rock...that is the question?!" As I type, Matt is rocking her after 1+ hour of off/on screaming. I know I haven't posted much about Will. He's doing well and enjoys listening to his Veggie Tales Praise Cd every single night before going to bed. He spends his days playing outside with Ellie, and following me around the house asking 1billion questions all day long. I laugh at him all day. He really says the most hilarious things. Wednesday we are heading out for a week-long vacation. Our first stop is Charleston, SC to visit my grandmother, who Annely Blake is named for. We will visit with her for four days and celebrate AB's first birthday. (Yes....next Friday it is!) Then on Sunday we're stopping in Savannah on our way back home for a three day visit with Matt's family. We haven't seen them in a while and Will has been dying to see his cousins. I've been sewing up a storm, and just today finished two baby day gowns for a friend who is having twins this summer. They were at times almost the death of me, yet I have an unexplainable high from the accomplishment of finishing them. Matt has been busy at work creating projects that have earned him accolades from top executives at the company. He's an extremely hard worker and it is definitely paying off!
Check back with us as I'll be posting more regularly and with pictures now that we have access.

Another Update

2008-04-03T19:23:00.000-07:00

Sorry...I have no pictures to post :( I've really been feeling sad about not being able to put up all of our Easter pictures and others from the past weeks. We are working on getting our computer fixed, hopefully it won't be much longer. We've been busy with our normal stuff, plus all these doctor visits for AB. She is continuing to do well, eating normally and is starting to pull up and cruise furniture. We saw her pediatrician this week who is referring us to an allergist here in Columbus to explore a possible egg allergy, and to Egleston to try and get some answers to her weird array of symptoms. Her legs and arms are still intermittently turning blue and have terrible circulation (known as capillary refill time.) Normal is less than 2 or 3 seconds...hers is upwards of 10 seconds or more. At its worst, her lips and cheeks will turn blue as well. We know it is nothing serious or life-threatening, but it is still concerning to know something is going on but not know what. Will is keeping busy playing with Ellie outside, and going to school, and bossing Annely Blake around. He's talking up a storm and is fascinated with yard equipment, construction tools, and puzzles. We turned a corner around Christmas and feel like he's finally out of the terrible twos and is really a delightful and fairly easy child. (Much like he was as a baby....) Whew! That was one LOOOOONG year and a half of consistent discipline. Just in time for Annely Blake to start acting up. That girl has a temper like you wouldn't believe. She ought to be a lot of fun at 15 :) All right...enough from me.

Easter pictures will have to wait...

2008-03-25T19:20:00.000-07:00

our computer has crashed :( I'm using Matt's work computer right now and I'm not sure how long it will be before ours is fixed. I'll be traveling to Athens on Thursday for a long weekend and then it will be April! Annely Blake turns one in April and I can't believe it!
Speaking of AB...continue praying. Her symptoms are still not resolved and we spent three hours on Monday with a pediatric cardiologist. He's sending everything up to Egleston to get them to look at it but we don't have many answers. We do know there is nothing major going on with her heart that is causing the cyanosis (blueness in her legs and arms.) They did find a small hole in one of her vessels, called a PDA, that is an incidental finding and he's not sure what he will do about it. Pray that we will get some answers from Egleston and that these symptoms will go away and not cause her any trouble. So far she seems to be in good spirits and is eating well so that is a relief. Thanks for the prayers and calls to us. We feel very loved!

New Tricks

2008-03-20T18:15:00.000-07:00

Clapping: (on command when Will says "yeah!")

this one kept me laughing all day.... I call it the "crab" crawl

spring's here!

2008-03-18T10:31:00.000-07:00

We're loving this weather around here~

Home Sweet Home

2008-03-15T10:50:00.001-07:00

Thank you, thank you, thank you, to all of our friends and family who took care of us the last four days. We could not have survived without your help and prayers! We are back at home today with AB and she is on the mend. The final diagnosis is still unclear. Her tests and lab-work never did show anything significant as the doctor's initially suspected. No major infections, just a plain old stomach bug. We spent most of yesterday focusing on her heart which was then suspected to have caused the blueness in her extremities but nothing major showed up there either. Her EKG did show an abnormality that the cardiologist picked up on, so we will be returning to see him in a few weeks when she is better to see if it resolved. An echo (ultrasound) was done yesterday on her heart which was normal and all her lab work was good too. The cardiologist thinks she had some weird "vascular response" to being sick and dehydrated. Pretty uncommon, but he has seen it before. I'm supposed to keep an eye on her color and it should go back to normal when she fully recovers, if not then he will have to do another set of tests on her heart and circulatory system. (She is still intermittently turning blue on her legs and arms..) Pray that things will continue to improve for her.

Here are a few pics from in the hospital...... nothing more pitiful is there?

Update

2008-03-13T07:05:00.000-07:00

Hey friends-

An update on AB from Kat (who's at home taking a much needed shower and getting out from behind the four walls of the hospital room.) AB was taken to the hospital yesterday after her legs and hands turned blue and ice cold. She'd also been vomiting for two days and very lethargic and not eating well. It was obvious she was having circulatory perfusion issues but they weren't sure what was causing it. They are looking for some kind of infection either in her blood, urine, or stool. Her chest x-ray, EKG, and urine all came back good. Her blood count showed some signs of increased CO2 and WBC (white blood cells- think infection) which we pretty much expected. Looks like we may be in the Hospital til Saturday. They are still running many tests and are waiting on the blood cultures to come back. Those won't be back until late tomorrow and will show whether she has a blood infection. They are also testing her for a milk allergy since we've noticed she's been vomiting after drinking milk (we just switched her from formula) and Will had a lactose intolerance problem too. She's receiving a continuous round of IV fluids and antibiotics which are helping a great deal. Matt will take the night shift tonight so I can try and get some sleep :)
Sorry for all the medical detail....sometimes I can't help myself. I am trying to be a good patient and not a nurse :)
Thanks for the prayers- will maybe post another update tonight after I get home.
Kat

Hospital Bound

2008-03-12T18:07:00.000-07:00

Well, today's been a wild one. I know this is Kat's blog, but I couldn't resist the need to ask for prayers from our friends and family reading the blog. Today, Katherine called me at work to tell me that she just left the doctor's office and was taking Annely Blake to the hospital. It was one of those calls that makes your heart just sink. I ran out the door, down the street, into the parking garage, and jumed into my car. It felt like it took me months to get to the hospital. Once there, I found a nervous wife, a hyper son, Will, and a pitiful looking little Annely Blake. She is quite ill - the doctors are running lots of tests now, and don't know what's wrong. She'll be there all night, and pending a good report in the morning, she may get to come home tomorrow. We'd appreciate your prayers for A.B. (healing) and Kat (strength, patience, and rest) during this time. For the family, Matt

college friends

2008-03-09T17:14:00.001-07:00

My good friend and college roommate Johnna, and her husband Kyle and son Davis, came to visit Saturday night. Davis is three weeks older than Annely Blake and is a man on the move!! We had the best time catching up with them and watching the kids play. Our other roommate, Samantha and her husband, Dean, came for dinner too.

Davis....... first dinner date?..........

the roomies from Penny Drive......

mmmmm, ice cream!

2008-03-04T14:41:00.001-08:00

AB got her first taste of ice cream today. Despite the look on her face she really liked it! it's really cold :)

she wasn't too happy when I took it away, though.....

our little drama queen.......

More Hockey

2008-03-02T11:10:00.000-08:00

Matt took Will to another hockey game last night and according to them they had a blast. Will's version was that it was "dangerous," and the "blimp went away and had to go night night."

On the way there..... Concerned about the blimp......

Fun with daddy.......

Posing with the mascot.....

On the way home and waaaay past bed-time.....

Tagged

2008-03-01T06:04:00.001-08:00

5 random things about me (Kat):

1. I've hiked part of the Appalachian Trail.
2. I'm a direct descendant of a signer of the Declaration of Independence.
3. I was convinced as a child that I was adopted and tried to prove it.
4. I was in the Miss Oconee County Forestry Pageant in High School (and have video to prove :)
5. I saw an autopsy at the GBI crime lab in Atlanta when I was in High School and loved it!

5 places I'd like to visit:

1. New York
2. France/England
3. Australia
4. Hawaii
5. Alaska
**********************************************************
5 random things about me (Matt):

1. I almost killed myself with my dad's .38 cal. pistol
2. I made cookies for the '96 Olympics and they were sold in Centennial Square in ATL (before the bomb went off)
3. I played the role of "Puck" in Shakespeare's 'Midsummer Night's Dream' in middle school.
4. I sang in the boys choir at Independent Pres in savannah
5. My brother ran over my foot one time in his car

5 places I'd like to visit:

1. New York City
2. Scotland
3. Barbados
4. Japan
5. Alaska

who says I'm sick?

2008-02-26T16:51:00.000-08:00

Fever: still there

Diagnosis: just a virus.....fever lasts for 4-5 days

We escaped the throw-up bug with this one so we're all happy about that!

victim #2

2008-02-23T17:48:00.000-08:00

Fever: 103

Vomiting: not yet, but I suspect it will be a long night :(

the invalid

2008-02-21T13:19:00.000-08:00

Well, the stomach virus has officially hit our home. Why is it that every time Will throws up it's in the car and all over his car-seat? Yuck. Let's hope Annely Blake doesn't contract it. She looks pretty good here...

Please pray for us if you remember! Having sick kids is never any fun :(

long week-end

2008-02-19T14:50:00.000-08:00

Matt had Monday off, which meant a long, relaxing week-end for all of us. The weather was beautiful, affording us plenty of opportunities for outside play..... the next-door neighbors came over and helped push....

and Annely Blake is now feeding herself the bottle (which spells f-r-e-e-d-o-m for me!!)

and we're working on the pincer grasp and self-feeding.....a work in progress as the gag reflex is still strong and she's a little pickier than Will was at this age. As I've said before.... it's hard following after the easiest baby that ever lived :)

when all else fails, bananas and cheerios seem to go down without any trouble :)

Will's Birthday Party with Friends

2008-02-13T13:36:00.000-08:00

Will's actual birthday, (monday), was pretty uneventful. We had a few of his friends over that morning for play and cupcakes. The rest of the day went down-hill after that, though. He was rotten, I was rotten, it was not a pretty sight. I was glad when the day was over and he was in bed!

He's enjoying his cupcake as you can see here.... Lulie

Anne

Luke

Bethany

other pics.....

A boy and his dog:

I didn't forget about our second child~

wow...didn't take her long to figure this out after mastering the crawl!

Will's Birthday Dinner

2008-02-09T18:26:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Will's 3rd today (his actual b-day is 2/11) with Poppy and KK, aunt May May and the rest of our family with a dinner made just for him. Hamburgers, fries, chocolate cake with tons of m&m's and ice cream. All of Will's favorites! We can't believe he's a big three year old now...... time really has flown by.

Here are some pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/katmaxey50/WillSBirthday

Happy Birthday Buddy! We love you!

Finally!

2008-02-06T16:37:00.000-08:00

We have a crawler! (I think she's been able to do this for a while but would rather be held and moved around by someone else :)

9 1/2 months...

going for the phone just like big brother Will did at this age

Happy Birthday Matt! (#29)

2008-02-04T08:19:00.000-08:00

As you can see, trying to get both kids to cooperate for the picture wasn't easy....

We love you!!!

crazy week

2008-01-31T17:22:00.001-08:00

Whew! I'm back to blogging again. Sorry it's been a while.....I really have no excuses, except that I'm just trying to hold it together with two kids and a dog. I was just talking to a friend today about how I feel that I can never fully stay on top of things anymore. My house never really feels clean, and even when it is it's not long before the dog tracks dirt in, or Will throws his blocks everywhere, or Annely Blake smears soggy Cherios all over the floor..... well, you get the picture. I guess this is our new "normal." Better get used to it :) Last week really was a whirl-wind. We had our entire AC/Heating system torn out and replaced, which involved me being confined to the den and kitchen area for two days with a toddler, baby, and dog. Cabin fever doesn't even begin to describe the way we were all feeling after that. Fortunately, I left the very next day for our church's women's reatreat. The kids were left in the very capable hands of Matt and his parents (thanks MiMi and Pa Pa!) I came back refreshed and ready to be a mom again. Fortunately at the moment no one is sick or teething, which means we are getting pretty decent sleep around here. So.....hope that catches everyone up with the Maxey happenings. The following are a few pictures from our bed-time routines tonight. I couldn't find anything more exciting....sorry :)

Ellie's nightly 8pm coma- after Will is done with her and is off to bed...
Sleeping like a baby....look at those rosy cheeks!

Will admiring himself in the mirror after brushing his teeth....

Did you brush the back ones well?.......

Goofy......

daddy time

2008-01-25T07:59:00.001-08:00

Now that Will is a little older, Matt has enjoyed taking him places and spending some one-on-one time with him. Last night he took Will to his first hockey game..... They met the mascot...

He was very interested in the blimp and where it was at all times.....

He watched a little hockey too.....

Tonight I'm leaving for our women's retreat in Alabama! I don't think I've ever been this excited about a retreat before! Having two kids has definitely been hard on this ultra, ultra extroverted people-person. I'm looking forward to the social time and maybe getting a little break from the kids (not that I don't love them :)) Matt's called in the reinforcements (his parents) for the week-end so I don't have to worry!

Georgia on My Mind

2008-01-21T10:20:00.000-08:00

It's never too early to show some team spirit!!

T-I-R-E-D

2008-01-16T19:22:00.000-08:00

We're all pretty tired around here. Between Will's nightly visits to our room, Ellie yapping and crying half the night, and Annely Blake flipping around in her crib and getting her head stuck under her blankets and bumper pad, we're pretty bleary-eyed. Aside from the sleep issues, Ellie's fitting in wonderfully with the kids. She tolerates Will picking her up and toting her around.....which says a lot.

OK, I take it back.....someone is getting some sleep around here......

Introducing Ellie

2008-01-12T13:30:00.000-08:00

She's here! The newest addition to the Maxey household! Visit the link below for pictures from Roba (Susie's Dad's place in Union Springs, Alabama) and to see the fun we had today before picking her up. Will is having fun chasing her around outside and telling her "no Ellie" at every chance he gets!

http://picasaweb.google.com/katmaxey50/Ellie

70 degrees?.....in January?

2008-01-09T05:40:00.000-08:00

The weather here has been nice and warm, allowing for plenty of opportunities to play outside and spend some of Will's endless energy.

On another note, as if our lives weren't crazy enough, we're getting a dog! More details to come about that later...... we're scheduled to pick her up on Saturday.

Blocks

2008-01-04T05:52:00.001-08:00

Something is happening in the Maxey household. Something that has yet to happen since we had Will nearly three years ago. I have seen some changes in him in the past few weeks. Some changes that are encouraging to me and Matt. My biggest frustration in parenting Will has been that he has zero attention span and will not play with anything by himself. He spends at the most five minutes on an activity, and 4 1/2 of those are spent destroying the thing. But, finally, here we are. It started over Christmas with a new-found joy in his block set we've had for over a year. The spark was flamed even more as he spent time at my parents house with their block set which is even bigger and better than ours. So since we've arrived back at home, Will has spent literally countless hours playing and building and arranging and stacking. Building what he calls "tall towers", and "houses," and "trains." And heaven help you if you try to unstack or knock over one of his creations. Matt and I just sat on the couch last night as he did this: Looking at each other in amazement that it was actually quiet in our house. And the kids were awake!!!! Matt commented that he remembered doing things like this as a kid. Making and creating structures.
And not to leave out Annely Blake. I'm having to keep my eye on her a little closer now as she's not quite crawling but scooting and spinning around and getting things in her mouth. I think it's out to Toys-R-Us this week-end for a set of large wooden blocks. We've got a good thing going here!