Bad things really do come in 3s

So as if Brian having back surgery one week, and Corbin getting a cold the next, I came down with a nasty 24-hour flu bug the following. Thankfully it didn't come on until after Corbin was in bed for the night and I was feeling lightyears better by morning.

It sounds like it's going around though because within two days, Brian, his mom and sister, as well as my sister and niece all came down with the same bug. Thankfully Corbin didn't get it, but who knows ... he could have been feeling the effects of it along with his cold last week since not everyone has gotten physically sick.

2010 is really going out with a bang. 2011 better be much nicer to us ... I think we have paid our dues to hold us over for a while!

Merry Christmas!

We hope you all had a very Merry Christmas! I know we sure did!

After not making it home from Texas last year for the holidays, you have no idea how excited I was to be able to spend Christmas with my family this year. Corbin was spoiled rotten as expected, and Brian and I were spoiled as well! Santa and "Nanta Clause" must have thought we were very good this year!

We mixed things up a little this year and went to my sister's house for Christmas Eve. Brian's family, my family, and the entire Powers family were there. It was great to celebrate the holiday with such a large group for a change.

Christmas morning was spent opening presents at our house with Brian's family and then we headed to my mom's house for the day to open more gifts and eat lots of tasty food (my mom's signature meal on Christmas is Prime Rib ... need I say more?)

I feel so blessed to have such a loving family and didn't need anything more than just their company for the holidays.

Corbin's first cold

Our poor little man came down with his first cold this week. He has been battling a fever of 102 and completely congested. I feel so bad for him. He can barely breathe and when I try to use the aspirator on his nose, it only makes him cry which just causes more congestion.

He just seems so miserable.

We took him to the doctor to make sure it was just a cold and that he didn't have the flu or an ear infection as well. Turns out it's just one nasty cold bug.

I have been living with him in my arms for the past 72 hours because he can't breathe when laying down and I think he just wants to be snuggled. While I am more than willing to hold him and comfort him, I'm not getting much sleep myself so it makes for very tough days.

The worst part about it is this is only the first of many colds and illnesses to come. Thankfully he is feeling better and should be back to his happy-go-lucky self in no time.

Brian's going under the knife ...

Brian FINALLY got the results from his "back injury analysis" we'll call it ... and it looks like he will be having back surgery. Turns out that his disc is almost completely herniated and the nerve is herniating as well. The surgery is pretty non-invasive and he will be able to walk out of the hospital after the surgery, but it's still really nerve wracking for me.

I will never forget how much pain he was in when the injury originally happened and they have said there is a possibility of that pain returning. That scares me.

Recovery should be fairly quick, but he won't be able to lift anything for 3 weeks, and nothing over 20 pounds for 3 months (that includes our 20 pound baby!)

He is very excited to finally get this taken care of once and for all and get back to his active, painfree lifestyle he is used to living.

If you have a spare second to send a thought or prayer for a perfect surgery and speedy recovery, it would be more than appreciated!

Corbin is 5 months old

Age: 5 months

Weight: approx. 20 pounds

Length: approx. 28 inches

Our baby is getting so big! And while he is growing up ... and actually starting to thin out ... he is still Mr. Serious when the camera comes out.

While we don't have a well-baby check up with the pediatrician this month, I can definitely promise you that Corbin is growing big and strong. But even more than that, his cognitive development is at full speed. He is discovering new things and developing in new ways every day.

He is rolling over constantly now from his back to his belly, but is getting frustrated because he can't quite figure out how to get back to his back. He is also talking up a storm and can recognize his own name and will look at you if you call him. His most recent discovery, though, are his feet. He is constantly grabbing at them and trying to pull them into his mouth.

He does this the most during diaper changes and bath time. Its pretty funny to see his little face as his concentrates so hard on these tasks. He is also playing with his toys and loves to discover new things that I put around him. He is so intrigued by everything right now.

It is so fun to watch him grow and develop, but its going way too quickly. I can only imagine how much he is going to change in the next few months. It seems like he is doing something new every day.

He is still napping and sleeping very well, but our biggest battle these days is trying to get him to accept a bottle. He knows what he likes and what he is used to and isn't too fond of our attempt for him to get his food from somewhere other than me. We are working with him every day at this and hopefully he catches on soon. If not, I guess in a few weeks its time we start introducing baby food so he might just skip the bottle all together.

Who me?

"Oh hi Roxy! Come a little closer ...

... Your hair looks like it would be fun to pull ...

... who me? I didn't do anything!"

Happy Thanksgiving!

Over the river and through the woods ... to my momma's house we went, for Thanksgiving. No, seriously ... she lives over the river and through the woods. We braved the snowy roads which weren't nearly as bad as we thought and spent the holiday out at my mom's house with her boyfriend, my sister and her kiddos.

We had all planned on starting a new tradition and doing the Turkey Trot 5K that morning, but everything was still snow covered and frozen (too cold for the babies at least) so we decided to skip it this year ... well all of us except my sister's hubby Joe ... who has promised to not let any of us live it down that he is the family Turkey Trot 2010 champion, even though no one else participated!

This allowed us to start dinner early and have a more relaxing day. We had quite the feast of traditional and non traditional fare. Mom made a fantastic turkey and my sister fixed up this great corn bread stuffing recipe from The Pioneer Woman, filled with pork, apples, mushrooms and who knows what else, but it was quite tasty. I'm just glad that one of my two dishes turned out. The jalapeno popper dip was delish, while my apple cranberry soup ... I mean pie ... could use some help. (I realize now that the oven at our new house doesn't cook nearly as hot as it says it is so it was just totally undercooked.) Lesson learned for next year, but at least the soupy pie still tasted good, just a little embarrassing! Although the cranberry whipped cream was fantastic.

Mom and Candice slaving away in the kitchen

Baby's first Thanksgiving

All the grandkids ... Kendall, 3; Brock, 2 months; Corbin, 4 1/2 months; Paige, 19 months

My boys!

Oh Christmas tree ...

The weekend after Thanksgiving we met up with my sister and her family to seek out our perfect Christmas trees. We went to The Red Barn Tree Farm in Orting, and I have no clue how we ever picked a tree there were so many. The Powers and Hall clans decided to divide and attempt to conquer the tree farm.

Brian and I had a very specific size tree we needed. Since our new house doesn't provide ample free space, we were in search of a skinnier, yet still fairly tall tree. After wandering through the farm for a while, we finally found the most perfect tree ... and the fact that we were able to actually find the one we liked again after looking a little longer was a sure sign that we had to get it.

Of course it was the most expensive type of tree but it was so worth it because every time I see it, I wish it was a fake tree so we could put it up year after year its that perfect.

The Powers eventually found their tree too and after our manly men chopped them down and hauled them to the cars, we all loaded up on the train and took a trip around the tree farm. While it was a little muddy and a little cold, it was a great day and another tradition I hope we continue for many years to come.