Makett's Hospital Adventure...

On Thanksgiving we started noticing that Makett was breathing with a loud stridor --sounding very high pitched and squeaky when he breathed in.  We watched it for a day, then decided on Saturday night to take him to CHOP--Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, where we remained into Sunday morning.  It was pretty traumatic having to hold him down for x-rays and a nasal scope...I must admit, I was bawling!  Turns out he has Laryngomalacia along with GERD, which means that his larynx is floppy because the cartilage hasn't hardened, so he has a narrower breathing passage which is why he breathes so loudly.  There's nothing they can do about the Laryngomalacia, he'll just have to grow and get tougher cartilage.  Obviously we can do something about the reflux, so we're working on that and are praying his larynx will get stronger quickly! 

Giving Thanks!

We definitely have much to be grateful for this year!  

Brandon's brother Brett and his wife Shelby came up for Thanksgiving, we loved having them and are grateful they'll make the three hour drive to hang out with us and sleep on an airmattress in our entryway!  I wasn't up for cooking this year, so we headed to Old Country Buffet.  It had all the traditional Thanksgiving foods, with the added bonus of a taco bar and ice cream machine!  And because I didn't have to cook it or clean it up, it tasted extra delicious!

As you can see, Tanzen and Makett enjoyed their Thanksgiving very much, you could tell by the look on their faces as they slept that they knew it was a special day :)  We have very advanced infants!

Brett holding Tanzen, Shelby holding Makett

Sunday afternoon...

Makett & Tanzen

I got these outfits used...one from a garage sale and another from a friend.  I thought it was pretty great that they were the same outfit, in different colors...so now we have a set!

Sorry folks...too tired to come up with a creative post!

Fall in Philly!

We finally got out of the house and took the babies for a walk along the river, it was fabulous!!!  Amazing how refreshing it is to be out of the house!  Tanzen and Makett didn't realize they were out of the house, but I'm sure they'll appreciate it eventually.

Brandon's parent's visit...

Kathy came out for a couple of weeks and was a great help, we'll miss her! Ray came and split a weekend between Philadelphia and DC. It was good to see them.

Elections 2008

I constructed this statue after visiting Philadelphia for the first time; a man with a triumphant fist in the air, representing the freedom we fought so hard to gain.  Now with a new President we move forward in support and hold true to our values.  The freedom statue has tattooed down his arm the following poem, which was influenced and taken from some of my favorite lyrics.

"Last night, we sat and watched the tele as the new caster began to cry when she read about the people who died, and Mr. Stevens was crying for freedom, but as for freedom it doesn't cry it yells: 

Freedom is not domination!

Freedom is not competition!

Freedom is the ability to feel love for everyone.

And Dr. King, I think often of you and the love that you learned from Jesus, you cried:

Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania. 

Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Utah. 

Let freedom ring from the sun kissed sahuaros of Arizona.  Free at last! Free at last! Thank God almighty, we are free at last!"

Attempting photography...

Since my amazingly talented photographer friend Amber left me for Utah, we were forced to attempt some Halloween pictures on our own.  I have to apologize that our blog has been hijacked by our babies...they're definitely the center of our universe now!

Makett * Tanzen

Tanzen * Makett

Tanzen (wearing a ghost onesie, in case you can't tell...)

Makett

This is why I need a professional photographer...Makett * Tanzen

Makett * Tanzen

Huuuuungry boys!

When hunger strikes, Makett and Tanzen go for the closest thing they can get their mouths on, which is often each other!  We're pretty entertained watching the poor hungry guys as they struggle to suck on each other's elbows or foreheads...

I have a hard time catching them to take pictures, and this is a cell phone pic, so it's obviously not the best quality.  Makett was going to town on Tanzen's head, he left quite a slobber spot.  For some reason the coloring is funky...Tanzen doesn't have a large birthmark or bloody head, it just appears that way.