Elimination Diet Excitement!!!

Well, actually the elimination diet was not exciting at all, BUT we were SUPER EXCITED when we finally found some items our children COULD eat!  Ha ha!

If you aren't familiar with an elimination diet, I'll explain...

We took the boys to the allergist a couple of days ago to have allergy testing done for foods.  Well it is a skin test, and often produces many false positives.  So, to make 'sure' it is an actual allergy, we eliminate all the foods they are allergic to for two weeks so they can clear their system.  Then, we can slowly re-introduce each item one at a time and watch for reactions.  If there is no reaction, then they are free to keep the item in their diet.   They only positive we had previously was peanuts for Connor - he broke out in hives :(   However, there were about 20 skin-test positives we had to eliminate!!!! :(  So basically my kids can't eat anything for a while!!   Peanuts, tree nuts, milk, casein, gluten, soy, egg, orange, rice, corn, chocolate (YES! Chocolate!!!) and so on....  Basically a nightmare in a nutshell! 

The boys were SO MAD when they realized they couldn't have their favorite foods.  I mean M.A.D!!!!  It was a rough start.  However, we slowly began to find new items they loved and we were SO excited!  Yesterday, my sweet boys enjoyed some homemade versions of their favorite treats: chicken nuggets and waffles (all allergy free of course!!)  YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here's to the next few weeks passing quickly, and no real reactions!!!!

5 Little Pumpkins Sitting on a Gate...

Connor's FAVORITE song currently it 5 Little Pumpkins! We sing it MANY times a day! Ha ha!  In case you don't know it...

5 Little Pumpkins Sitting on a Gate

The first one said, "Oh my, it's getting late!"

The second one said, "There are witches in the air!"

The third one said, "But we don't care!"

The fourth one said, "Let's run and run and run!" 

The fifth one said, "I'm ready for some fun!"

Ooooooo went the wind, and out went the light.

And the 5 little pumpkins rolled out of sight!

Well.

You can imagine Connor's excitement when we told him we were going to Robert's Family Farm to pick our very own pumpkins!!! Not only did we pick pumpkins, but we went down a HUGE slide, took a hayride, and got to pet a potbellied pig and some goats!!  The boys were in hog heaven!!

Here's some highlights of our trip!! :)

Zoo-RIFFIC!!!

What says terrific more than a trip to the zoo?!?!?  

Not much could top the fun and excitement these kiddos had seeing all the fantastic animals at the Louisville Zoo!!

Connor was soooooooooooo excited the whole way there!

He kept looking out the window asking for Gorilla.

His favorite book is 'Good Night Gorilla," by the way!

There was some serious focus and concentration going on in the front seat! Ha!

And some serious snoozin' in the back seat! LOL

Mamaw Benham took us all to the zoo - her treat! Big cousin Ryan put his youth and muscle to good use! ;) Cousin Tyler and Liam LOVED the wagon!  Hauling two toddlers around is no easy task!

It was so sweet seeing Connor try to interact with and talk to all the animals!

This snake wasn't too excited, though! Ha!

Tyler had a blast, as well! He though the snakes were the coolest things EVER!

Um, LOVE this picture!  How sweet is he trying to talk to the turtles????!!!!???

Ryan and Connor tried to get the macaw to talk to them! :)

What a sweet little moment between cousins!!! <3

The boys were mesmerized by the tiger!!  I love how intently all 3 of them are watching him in the picture... even little Liam from the stroller!!!

Colby and Tyler got to get a super close view of the tiger!!

More tiger gawking :)

Colby makes friends easily.  :)

Piggy back rides were necessary later in the day! :)

We LOVED the zoo!!!  Thank you Mamaw!!

*17 Super Months*

Dear Liam Andrew,

         Here we are again.  Another month has FLOWN by! Can you believe that next month you will be a year and a half old?!?  I sure can't.  You are changing and growing so much each day that it is impossible to keep up with you!  Here are some of the things we don't want to forget about you at this age:

• You are saying names!! When I ask you what someone's name is (family members), you tell me! You always have this cute little grin on your face too, like you know you are the cutest thing ever! lol You are something, else!
• You sure are a little problem solver! If you can't figure something out, or you need help with something, you come grab the closest adult by the hand and drag them to where you need them! lol
• You LOVE being outside! You love sliding, playing in the sand box, and popping bubbles!
• You have recently become more interested in books.  You've always listened when we read to you, but now your fascination has clearly grown.  You pull book after book off our shelves to look at, and when you are really interested, you come climb into our laps so we can read to you! :)
• You are my awesome little eater! You will pretty much devour anything we put in front of you!
• You have recently become obsessed with your play kitchen and food! You cook up all kinds of stuff and feed it to us. lol
• You are all about feeding yourself! Mr. Independent, you have to use a fork or spoon and do it all by yourself!  Sometimes you are a mess! lol
• You have started answering yes or no questions! You LOVE to tell momma no! lol  Especially when I ask you if you are ready to go night, night! Haha! Smart boy!
• You are STILL our little climber! You are a daredevil too! In  fact, you are such a daredevil that you ended up climbing on momma's bed and sitting too close to the edge.  Momma and daddy scrambled to get you at the same time, running into each other on the way.  So, you fell and landed on your shoulder!!! :(  This resulted in a broken collar bone!!!!!! I was sooooooooooooooo sad! :( But guess what??? It didn't phase you at all! lol  You are such a turkey!
• You are a sweet momma's boy and I love every second of it! I like to rub it in to your daddy! lol  He can tease me right back, though, since Connor is a daddy's boy!

Here's some of my favorite pics of you from this month!!

Well, my poor sweet boy was sick this month :(

You got a hold of the salt shaker!! LOL

My poor sweet, sick boy snoozin on momma!

Feeling better and having fun with big brother!!!

You LOVE wagon rides!! :)

Trying to figure out a spoon! Haha!

Yay!! You got it! Yummy applesauce!!

For some reason, you and Connor think Momma and Daddy's room is the coolest place ever and want to play in there constantly! You weren't too happy with up when we put something over the doorknob to keep Connor from opening the door for you! Haha! Silly boys!

A box of wipes proves to be a great source of entertainment in our house!! ;p

Happy 17 months sweet boy!!!

We love you to the moon and back and infinite number of times!

Love,

Momma and Daddy

Fall Fun!

Nana and Papaw Shacklett treated us to a Mike Linning's dinner!

They have the BEST fish ever!

They also happen to have the best playground ever!

The two of you ate that right up... (and NOT your food!) lol

Thank you Nana and Papaw Shacklett!!!

Liam Andrew is 16 months old!!!!!!!!!

Happy 16 months, Baby Boy!

Here's 16 things we are just loving about you this month (plus one to grow on!!)

• You just love your brother.  You have to follow him everywhere he goes! When you see him you just light up because you are so excited to see him!
• YOU ARE WALKING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Literally moments after I posted about your 15 month updates, you took your first steps!!! Now, not only are you walking, but you are climbing! You try to climb on EVERYTHING! We have really had to be on our toes watching you!! LOL You can officially climb onto the couch, your brother's bed, the end table, the kitchen table, and on momma & daddy's bed.  It is a full. time. job. watching you! ;)
• You LOVE playing outside in our sandbox!
• You insist on pointing to everyone's bellies.  And you have to lift up their shirts to do so.  Haha!
• You do not like grass.  Or kiddie pools with 3 and 4 year olds in them. :)
• You are a piglet.  You eat. And eat.  AND EAT.  It costs a small fortune to keep you satisfied! Your favorites right now are crackers, baby food pouches, chips, apple slices, and basically anything someone else is eating! :)
• You LOVE it when your daddy plays the guitar for you.
• You bust a move anytime you hear music.
• You believe the Cozy Coupe car is YOURS.  If your brother goes anywhere near your car, you flip out on him! We are working on sharing! ;)
• You will, however, share with momma and daddy! Especially your food.  You get a kick out of making us eat your food (even when its got baby slobbers on it!)
• You love your play kitchen.  You cook little meals and even pretend to eat them.  Momma has to pretend to eat them with you.  :)
• You are, first and foremost, momma's boy.  But as a close second, you are papaw's boy!
• You are a talker!!! You have been saying so much lately.  Today you pointed to daddy's truck and said tuck(truck) and then immediately pointed to the garage door and said door!  My baby is growing up so fast!  You say so many new things each and every day.
• I love asking you questions because your comprehension is unreal! I can ask you where people or objects are, and you always point to them with a big grin on your face like you know you are so smart! ;)
• If I make kissy sounds at you, you'll walk over and lean in to give me your forehead to kiss! LOL
• You are a nosy rosy!  Anytime I unload the dishwasher, put clothes in the washer, put things away in cabinets, or any type of chore, I have a little person on my heels "helping"! hahaha!
• You are without a doubt, the sweetest and smartest little 16 month old EVER! I know I'm a little biased because I'm your momma, but I just can't get enough of you!!! You are such a positive little light in our lives and we are beyond blessed to have you in our family! We can't wait to see all that you will do next!

A sweet moment between brothers! :)

We DEFINITELY need to cut back on our tv time! LOL

Our sweet boy WALKING with daddy!

??? Hahaha!

The best part about the pediatrician's office?? The chairs.

What a cutie!!!!!!!!!

First steps documented!!!!!!!! LOVE it!!

Already multi-tasking!!! Walking and talking to Elmo on the phone!

We love you so much, baby Liam!

Happy 16 months!

We love you to the moon and back an infinite number of times!

Love, 

Momma and Daddy

A first for us...

Well, a day I dreaded finally arrived. :(

We encountered our first broken bone!

This was only inevitable with two rambunctious boys, but it still makes a momma feel terrible! :(

Connor and Liam were enjoying watching Cars (the movie) while sitting on momma and daddy's bed.  This is a typical morning ritual that keeps two toddler boys occupied so momma and daddy can get ready.  The boys began to get restless and were beginning to get rambunctious.  Well, Daddy and I both happened to be standing pretty close to the bed and I think we realized at the same time that Liam was going to tumble off. :(  Well in our hurry to catch him, we bumped into each other instead and poor Liam hit the floor on his arm/shoulder.  He cried, of course, but it wasn't anything a little apple juice and goldfish crackers couldn't cure.  We checked him over really well, and nothing seemed tender, so we just agreed to keep an eye on him.

The next day was a follow-up appointment at the pediatrician's office for an ear infection that had been diagnosed earlier in the week.  My mom and I took Liam to the appointment.  Well, in the waiting room, I happened to notice a small bruise forming along his left collarbone.  Curious, I started touching it and he got SO MAD at me! He almost growled! Ha! Welp, that's about when all the color drained from my face and I KNEW it was broken.  TERRIBLE.MOMMA.MOMENT.  Sure enough, our sweet Dr. Kamber confirmed that it was indeed broken and we were sent home with this brace and orders to wear it for 6 weeks.

I felt HORRIBLE!

Luckily it hasn't seemed to phase little man much!!! See:

Here's to a fast 6 weeks and a complete recovery!!