Update.

After another visit to the doctor. Negative for strep, ears clear, yet a horrible, horrible sore throat. White pockets everywhere, yet no strep. Dusty and I tried to look at his throat at home, but no luck. We are on this House kick lately (USA Marathon - DVR is great!) and Dusty sometimes thinks he's House now (quite comical!) We had the flashlight, tongue depressor, the whole bit and poor little Atticus - we felt like terrible parents. However, Dr. Phillips did it within seconds. He sure is a trooper for what he's been dealing with - no wonder he has not had anything but liquids for 4 days. So we were told APAP, (plain old damn tylenol in the pharmacy world.) We knew it going in, it would be the same ole' thing. After arriving home, he still was in so much pain and just plain miserable. I called back to get him some T#3 (tylenol with codeine in the pharmacy world) and boy was he HAPPY! It worked in about 15 minutes, and he was the happiest little guy again. He ate, giggled, played with Greta and gave lots of kisses. It was wondeful. So, for the next few days, YES, until this clears up, my dear little boy will be on DRUGS :)

On a serious note - we did schedule an MRI for late October and are now keeping records of his temps on a daily basis for the physicians. He still has problems with constipation as well, and we want to see if the colon is doing it's thing. A little worried about sedating him, however we need the piece of mind that all is functioning properly. The constant fevers and constipation worry us. Are they related? Who knows. It's all so complicated. Looking back, Greta was rarely ill, so this is a whole new world for us. Please keep him in your prayers.

On a more serious note - Luke is critical, yet stable. Please continue to pray for him and his family and for God to lay his healing hands upon him.

On a lighter, happier note - If you want to read a great, uplifting article on Amy, check out the blog to the right. She's on the cover of Vanity Fair in November and it is an awesome article about her and Darrren. We are so excited for them. They truly are perfect for each other. When I think of them and think of how affectionate they are towards each other - it makes me stop and think of Dusty. I am not the most affectionate person, yet am truly, truly blessed to have him in my life. So, yes, they make me want to be more lovey-dovey (I actually hate that word)......so goodnight, I am going to go kiss my husband and maybe even create another baby or two!

Horner Out. (I'm such a dork.)

A rough day.

Our sweet little boy is sick again. Same symptoms - 103-104 degree fever, shakes (almost like electric shocks) and this time we had projectile vomiting. This seems to be happening about every 2 weeks. Not sure if he is immunocompromised in some way or just one of those babies that is sick all the time. We are going to have to investigate further because it's just not right and I hate to see him suffer. We are mostly concerned about the "shocks" he feels. They scare him, he cries, sometimes he has a few, sometimes just one. If anyone knows of symptoms like this, please leave a comment and let me know.

Also, please pray for Luke Carmichael. He was in a terrible accident this morning. We are not sure of his status at this time, we just know it's not good. His wife is pregnant and due in December. The power of prayer is amazing, so please pray for him and his family and that he will survive this terrible event.

Our new treasures!

The word "treasures" makes Dusty and I laugh every time. We were antique shopping in Gatlinburg, TN a few years ago and came upon this cool looking old house with an antique sign in the front yard. It was in the boonies and thought we have might have hit a gold mine. Boy, were we wrong. Upon entering, we realized we were in this old ladies' home, who had everything priced that belonged to her. She told us that these were all her "treasures" that she had collected over the years and that everything was for sale. I cannot remember how many times she said the word "treasures" but I could not take it any longer. Dusty is the nice one and listened, and listened, and listened.......while I was already on my way out to the car. I'm rude like that! He felt bad for her. I thought she was loony. So whenever we shop for antiques or hit the flea markets, we cannot help but to smile and say we're looking for "treasures!"

Treasure for Greta: a bookcase, perfect size and condition!

Treasure for Brooke: Love it, Love it, Love it! An Ethan Allen sofa with the original upholstery (spelled right, not sure.) Do not know how old this is but in perfect condition as well as fits perfectly into our little farmhouse. Supposively came from an ex-drummer of Led Zepplin (his mother's) - not sure about that either.

Treasure for Brooke: I have always wanted a full length mirror (not the cheap ones they make now) If you want a great quality mirror with zero distortion you have to buy an OLD mirror, plain and simple. The picture does not do this piece justice. It is beautiful and I love the flowers. It just makes me smile!

Treasure for Greta: Since we have a school girl now, we thought she needed a proper desk. She has not seen it yet. We want to clean it up a bit, there's some rust on the metal that we want to sand off and repaint. The wood is beautiful and the hinges work great, no severed fingers with this one. She will love it.

Treasure for Dusty: A barber's chair that he had to have for his studio. I do admit that it is a cool piece for his studio that will some day get finished. We wanted to go for a retro feel. Far from that now. I should post some pics of the "disaster" - (Greta's new word) but he would probably get really angry. It says "Comet" on the side, thought that was pretty cool too, since we were the King's Comets in grade school. Greta liked going for an elevated ride and spin today.

Our Plentiful Pear Tree!

One of the favorite things about our land is that we can actually provide fruit for our family by just walking outside. We have pears, apples, cherries, grapes, raspberries and blackberries (not all at once of course!) The kids think it's great to be able to eat right off of the tree. Our pear tree is extra special because it harvests the best pears year after year!

In Memory of Charlie (9/6/07- 9/12/08)

We lost a member of our family on Friday. Our crazy dog, Charlie. We have all had a very tough weekend coping with the loss of him. Our house seems so different now, it's actually very quiet. Charlie's best friend was Henry. They have been together, constantly together, since they were 5 weeks old, born only 2 days apart. Only away from one another for an hour here and there for groomings. We bought them at a pet store last November as an early Christmas present for Greta and Atticus. They were in the same kennel because they were so tiny. I was leaning towards Charlie and Dusty was leaning towards Henry. Greta responded that she did not want the black or even the white dog, she wanted BOTH. Not that we get Greta everything she wants, BUT, it was pulling at our heart strings. Everytime we took one out to play, the other one cried. We felt bad seperating them and ended up taking them both home that night. Greta got her wish. It was actually very easy training them and they never once cried or whimpered at night. They loved each other and were inseperable. They could not pee alone, eat alone, sleep alone, etc. Charlie waited for Henry before he did anything. They even slept on top of each other or touching one another most of the time. We found it strange, but cute. They loved to play outside as well as wrestle in the house. We constantly yelled, "Dogs, Stop!" Charlie was the playful guy and always motivated Henry to wake up and play. They had their fill of chasing rabbits, birds and chipmunks as well as digging holes and rolling in mud puddes. Typical farm dogs, just tiny ones! Charlie was also a licker, a crazy neurotic licker. I told Dusty several times that he had anxiety and could use a xanax or two. He was never calm and cool like Henry. Always licking, always wanting to cuddle, and always showing his affection for us. He LOVED Greta and Atticus and would let them man-handle him in any way. Atticus LOVED Charlie, I always said Charlie was his. Charlie got the biggest smiles every morning from Atticus, I am going to miss that. I can go on and on obviously. I am sitting here with tears streaming down my face. We are truly going to miss that crazy dog. We think the hardest part is seeing Henry now. He's lost and depressed and does not know quite what to do. Charlie was the leader. We are afraid to leave Henry alone now. We know how much we miss him, cannot even imagine what Henry is feeling. Greta learned about heaven for the first time and is still pondering the whole concept. Atticus still searches for Charlie now and then. It's sad. We'll forever miss you Charlie. We use to say it jokingly all the time, but now the phrase will forever remind us of him, "Sorry, Charlie."

Best buds, Charlie and Henry.

Trying to take a family photo at Christmas. Some memorable moments!

Once again, sleeping together in the comfy, cozy car seat.

Atticus Eli (18 months)

Greta Elizabeth (3 1/2)

Greta's New Bed

Greta will be getting a new bed very soon! We could not get bunk beds (very dissapointing) because our daggum farmhouse ceilings are too low. So we had to opt for a low loft bed (about 60 inches off the floor) I think it will be perfect though since we plan to put her kitchen underneath. Hopefully this will convince her to stay in HER bed all night!

First Day of Preschool!

Oh my goodness, Greta's first day of school. Boy, was she ready!

Yes, very excited about her new backpack.
Big girl, having to walk in by herself.
I thought I would get weepy, but not at all. She was very confident and was ready for me to leave. We've been playing "school" for months now, so her day finally arrived. She was very proud and so was I!
Ellie and Greta ready for their 1st day!

Greta's Bike

After arriving home from Mackinaw we had bike fever.

SURPRISE!
Her very own princess bike!

Learning to ride. We had the hardest time ONLY pedaling forwards and not backwards. She was not used to that daggum brake. After several attempts, Greta finally succeeded!