Quick Update

We have had a whirlwind of the past couple of weeks! Joe had his vasectomy and did very well. We have all suffered from various gastrointestinal viruses. Caden dropped a wooden puzzle piece on his toe and knocked his toenail off! It has been super yucky but is finally about ready to be trimmed off! We have had visitors, the Sluders, and built a clubhouse for Caden in our backyard at the park! The directions say it should take two moderately skilled men 20 - 24 hours to complete. It took Tony Hale, me, Joe, Greg Sluder, Lynnette Sluder and different kids off and on about 19 hours to complete. It was a bear, but we had a ton of fun doing it and Caden is excited beyond belief!

Our Easter Weekend

We had a great Easter weekend! On Saturday, Chase and Coy, yes, I said Chase, went with the youth group of the church we have been attending to Six Flags. Our campground owner's children and wife went on the trip as well. They own a skating rink that is open most of the day on Saturday, so he needed some help with it. Joe and I helped him out and had a great time! It was out of the norm for us both, he DJed and I helped out in the snack bar. Caden skated and skated and skated. It is amazing in a short month what a great skater he has become! He just buzzes around the rink! It is just adorable! Chase and Coy had a great time! They rode all of the roller coasters. They were wind burnt and exhausted when they got home! Chase, while he would never really admit it, met some great potential friends! When we got home and everybody got in bed, it was about Midnight. Coy came stumbling into Joe's and my room saying, "I don't want to ride any more roller coasters." I said, "What are you talking about?" He said it again. I told him that he doesn't have to ride any more, go back to bed! He remembers nothing of it! We were supposed to be at Sunrise Service this morning and then breakfast at church. Well, Sunrise was at 6:30AM, after not being in bed until after Midnight and a pretty restless night, it doesn't take a genius to realize there was NO way the Dillards were going to be up at 5:30AM! We made an honest attempt to get to Sunday School by 9:45, but that didn't happen either! We did make it to service at 11:00! Our church had a cantata. It was really nice!

We were invited to go to Lynn and Tony Hale's(owners of the campground) house for lunch and egg hunting! Coy found a camoflauge egg with $5 inside and Caden found two eggs each containing a dollar. Both dollars are safely saved in his penny bank! Just a note, the camo eggs, made in China, were recalled this week for high lead levels! Why are we still trading with China? Amber, their oldest daughter, took us to a horse farm close to their house where she helps out taking care of the horses, feeding, brushing, riding! They had four baby horses all under a year. They were so intrigued with Caden and he with them! They were so precious! It was too windy to ride today, so we are going to make a date in a week or so for Caden and Coy to ride. Chase is "scared of horses!" We'll have to work on him! Our second Easter away from home was a wonderful success! We joked with Tony and Lynn saying they were our "host family" for Easter! And wonderful hosts they were!

Caden Plays Soccer

We signed Caden up to play soccer. We would have preferred baseball, but no team had a spot for him because we were signing up a little late. So, soccer it was! They have had a couple of practices that he wasn't able to make due to various obstacles. My mom bought him a soccer ball, so we have been playing around with him so he wouldn't just be completely lost on game day. He had his first game today. He was so excited last night, couldn't wait! We didn't think we were ever going to get him to sleep! They had team and individual pictures this morning at 8:45 and the first game at 9:30. When we arrived to have pictures made, it was a little disarranged. We had to get him in his uniform as we hadn't had a chance to get it before today. He wears a 3T/4T, his shorts were at least a 6! Not being prepared for this, I got a rubber band from the photographer and cinched up his shorts! Now, those of you who know Caden well, could never imagine, but he is terribly shy. Meeting all these new people, all the chaos seemed almost too much! He was clinging to our legs, tearing up. He didn't want to have his picture made. . .he was a wreck! I had my doubts whether soccer was going to happen today!

He started to warm up and during stretching before the game, went on the field and observed everyone else doing jumping jacks and stretches.

The game begins. The ball is kicked. Kids are running around everywhere. Caden stands! He doesn't move. It is like he is frozen with fear. It is hilarious! The kids would run his way, he would have a shot at stealing the ball, he would shrink in fear of the stampede! If Coach Tony said once, he said 43 times in 32 minutes, "Caden come over here","Caden, get the ball." Joe and I could only laugh! By the last quarter, he had kind of gotten the hang of it and over the fear of being trampled and had started to at least run with the pack!

We are very proud of his first effort at soccer. His next game is on Tuesday, we are hoping for more assertive participation!

Our Crazy Week and Joe's Update

We decided when we left Biloxi that instead of going through the trouble of changing Coy's Orthodontist, we would just travel to Biloxi every other month and stay with Dr. Wakham. His appointment was on Wednesday. Joe had a training class on Wednesday and an appointment with his Doctor in Chattanooga on Tuesday. So, Joe went North, Coy, Caden and I (my mom went with us, too! We had some shopping to do!) went South and Chase stayed in LaGrange waiting for a call about a job.

Joe's doctor was concerned enough to order a chest x-ray. All looked well. He decided to put Joe on an "Event Monitor." He has to wear electrodes and a beeper. Each time he has an "episode" he has to click the beeper. When he has 10 episodes, he has to call in and they download the info from the beeper. Dr. Simpson wants Joe to wear the monitor for two weeks. He also prescribed a medication, Labetalol. It is often used for high blood pressure. Dr. Simpson wants him to record 10 episodes before he begins the medication.

His class on Wednesday was cancelled. He got his monitor "installed" and headed home Thursday evening.

We left out on Tuesday morning. It was a good trip, about a four hour drive. We arrived in a whirl wind of shopping, visiting and eating. It was so good to see Carma and Amanda. We ate dinner at "High Cotton!" Yummy Ribs! Coy had his dentist appointment on Wednesday morning. The crazy train-wreck tooth in the middle of his mouth now has a bracket on it! YAY! It won't be long and that tooth will be where it should be! We did a little more shopping and got on the road headed to LaGrange! My mom left on Thursday afternoon. It was great to have her go with and we enjoyed her company! The kids enjoyed being spoiled for the week!

Our Day at the Races

We had planned all week to go to the Busch Race in Atlanta. We knew it was going to be chilly and then. . . it got cold and snowed! The wind was sustained at 20mph. A miserable day for the races!

All week, when we would get in the truck to go ANYWHERE, Caden would say, "Are we going to see the Busch Race or what?" We knew we would have to come up with something really good to distract him from the race. We decided to suck it up, pack up and go to the races! With layers of thermal, cotton and fleece, a backpack with caps, gloves, blankets, chapstick, shooter muffs and ear plugs, we were on our way!

Coy has been to the races, Caden had not. Caden's face was absolutely priceless on the first lap around! We couldn't have paid him to keep those ear muffs on! He loved every minute of it! For Coy, Joe and I, it was like the first time all over again! I guess you never get over the excitement of race day!

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. ran the Atlanta Busch Race for the first time in almost a decade. He drove the number 5, National Guard car. Kyle Busch led 174 of 184 laps and blew a tire and hit the wall! We were very sad for him. He had led the race by 1/3 mile! The race's last lap was run under caution. They run two extra if that happens, so we got two extra laps for our money!

Here are a few pictures of our day!

Joe's ER Visit

Joe has been having some trouble with heart palpatations on and off since Sunday. He describes them as "his heart skipping." So on Tuesday, he came home for lunch and said he thought maybe he needed to go to the ER. Off we went! True to form in LaGrange everyone at the ER was super nice! Can you believe it, ER staff SUPER nice? His bed was "Hall Bed 4!" Yep, we were in the hall. They apologized profusely but were really due an expansion. They immediately got him hooked up to an EKG machine. After being in the hallway for about 3 hours, they sent him home with a referal to see a Cardiologist. His appointment is on Friday!

I realized while in the hospital with coughing, hacking and sneezing that I really was never cut out for the medical field! I just about antibacterialed my skin off! YUCK!

Our First Weekend in LaGrange

Joe is only working Monday through Friday 8am - 5pm which may become an issue for him as he tends to be quite the work-a-holic! But for now, he is happy to delve into our new town and surroundings with us!

Joy and Dennis (my mother-in-law and her husband) came down on Saturday morning. We got in the van with no real plans or intentions we were just exploring. We headed. . . in some direction towards Pine Mountain. We stopped by Wild Animal Safari, we are definitely having Caden's Birthday Party here! We drove by Butte's Farm and into Pine Mountain. What a cute little town! We just kept driving and came across Callaway Gardens and decided to head up the mountain!

I read a book on the legacy of the Roosevelts recently. I read about the "Little White House" and "Warm Springs, GA." President FDR would visit Warm Springs for the healing waters that came out of the natural springs after he contracted Polio. He built the "Little White House" for himself and his family's use while he visited. He died in the Little White House.

Well, we are driving on this beautiful mountain and ran upon Warm Springs, GA! It was so exciting for me, I don't even know why, but I was like a kid at an amusement park! Coy and Joe thought it was really neat, Joy was excited because she, too, had visited Warm Springs Rehab as a child. "The Little White House" is a must do when you visit us!

It was a great day! A fabulous first weekend for us in LaGrange!