Poop is not my friend (viewer discretion advised)

What a night! Did I mention that the stomach bug is going through my family? Well, it is, and it will not go away. I had it last Tuesday-Saturday and Emma Jane has had it from Saturday-today. So, I went to her doctor yesterday. She gave me a list of stuff that Emma Jane could eat. She said once she starts feeling a little better, she can have a little chicken. BIG MISTAKE! That is how this story begins.
Well, Emma Jane had been feeling better for more than 24 hours, so I thought I would try out the chicken. I felt bad that the girl had only had bananas, rice, and bread for the past 4 days, so I gave in. Well, thirty minutes later, I am feeding CJ...Emma Jane is wandering around our apartment just happily playing. She comes back into the room, and BAM!! WHAT IS RUNNING DOWN HER LEG ONTO HER BLANKIE THAT I JUST CLEANED?!?!? OH, YES, DIARRHEA...AND LOTS OF IT COMING DOWN FAST! YUCK, YUCK, YUCK, YUCK, YUCK!!!
I instantly put CJ down, grab Emma Jane , and run her into our bathroom to put her in the tub. (As I am running her to the bathroom, I notice a trail of Diarrhea on the carpet everywhere Emma Jane had been in the past 5 minutes! DOUBLE DISGUSTING!) I try to pull her diaper off gracefully, but that was to no avail. Diarrhea everywhere! So Disgusting. How could so much come out of such a small girl. This really baffles my mind. I go to turn on the water to wash Emma Jane off. I pull the nozzle. NOTHING! NO WATER! Of all the times my apartment needs to turn off the water, it had to be now! Awesome!
So, I instantly leave Emma Jane, run to the kitchen and grab two bottles of water. Meanwhile, Emma Jane is crying b/c I left her, and CJ is screaming, crying b/c I left him on the floor, and he is wondering why no one is picking him up. I run back to the bathroom to find Emma Jane meeting me halfway there...covered in more Diarrhea b/c she apparently slipped while trying to get out of the diarrhea filled tub...and now there are new diarrhea stains on the carpet and all over the bathroom from her getting out of the tub. I grab her stick her back in the tub. I started pouring the water on her. She is crying wondering why her mother doesn't just fill up the bath like she normally does? She also is crying b/c the water I am pouring on her is very cold. Sorry sweat heart.
When she is washed off, I dry her off, and put a diaper on her. I try to wash my hands, but oh yes, there is no water left for me to wash them off. Emma Jane then runs off happy as a clam. At this point, I access the situation. I have diarrhea on my hands and on my feet from walking through the house. There is lots of diarrhea in the bottom of my tub. There is diarrhea on the mats in the bathroom, on the sides of the tub where Emma Jane tried to get out. There is diarrhea spilling from the soiled diaper in the sink. There is diarrhea on the carpet in my closet, my bedroom, the hallway, Emma Jane's room, and the front room. The smell of diarrhea is pretty overwhelming. CJ is crying, wondering why his meal was rudely interrupted, and I HAVE NO WATER. I instantly grab the Sam's Club bag of wipes, and get to work.
It has now been a couple of hours. The kids are finally in bed. I have two candles going, and my house still smells like poop! I have two loads of laundry. The carpet is clean, and the bathrooms are almost clean. What a night! I don't think Emma Jane has anything left to poop for a couple of days. Thank goodness b/c right now, poop is not my friend.
For those of you who do not have kids that read this, do not let this deter you from having kids. They are great. They just poop, and you have to touch it. So, get over it now, at one point, probably several, you will have a moment where you are covered in poop! Sorry to gross anyone out.

My Dear Husband

Well, Carl and I celebrated our 3rd Anniversary about a month ago. We always get a kick out of how long we have been married b/c it seems like we have been married a lot longer than what we actually have. It only feels that way b/c we have done so much in 3 years: Both Graduated College, Toured Europe for 3 weeks (while 4 months pregnant), Moved 5 times (one of those was across the country to Alabama 7 months pregnant),Had 2 children within 14 months, Got a dog, Bought a home in Montgomery, Renovated it, and Sold it, Bought a home in Birmingham and currently renovating it!

It has been quite the journey over the past few years. Hopefully, the next year won't be so intense as the last. Either way, I am glad I get to do it all with my best friend. Carl is my rock. He keeps me sane through all the mania....and there is a lot of mania going on around here. I am just so grateful to have him in my life. Carl never ceases to amaze me with his patience and selflessness, not to mention his amazing handy-man and automotive skills. Thanks Carl for being such a great husband! I can't wait to see what happens next!

Gerda Pratt Haynie

This past weekend we traveled to Utah to go to Carl's grandmother's funeral. (I would have posted earlier but I got some sort of stomach flu on our way home on Tuesday and have been sick up until yesterday.) Any who, we were able to attend her funeral this Monday. I feel so blessed to have attended it. I did not personally know Gerda Haynie. When I married into the Haynie family, she was already in the late stages of Alzheimer's Disease. To give you a better idea about the tone of the funeral, Gerda had been bed-ridden since last October, and was fed through a syringe for almost a year. So, her passing was quite a blessing. It was something the family had been praying for for quite some time. Hence, her funeral was not so much a mourning but a celebration of her life...and what a life she lived!

She lived a life of service to everyone that she met. She was the mother of 7 children (At one point she had 4 children two and under. Carl was 2, Becky was 1, and the then, she had twin boys. Talk about crazy). She was the grandmother to 42 grandchildren (40 of which were at the funeral. They flew from all over the country to pay tribute to such a wonderful lady. All 40 of them sang "Abide with Me tis Even Tide" at her funeral, and it was so beautiful.) Gerda also was the great-grandmother to 20 grandchildren. It was so inspiring to hear people talk about her life! What a Christ-like lady! She touched so many people. Thank you Gerda Haynie for raising such a righteous family. You inspire me!

Anyway, here are some pictures from our trip. I wish I had a picture of her when she was younger to post, but I don't. Sorry.

Gerda's Kids from R to L Eva, Lucy, Carl, Becky, Joe, Glen and Harold. What an amazing group! She was obviously a wonderful mother because she raised some amazing children.

This is Carl Stephen Haynie I with Carl Stephen Haynie IV. What a tender moment. Grandpa was being so cute with him.

The four Carl Stephen Haynie's. What a group of men! Those one for the picture frame.

Our little family.

Carl's ever-so wise and beautiful older sisters.

Carl's younger sister Cara with Emma Jane. Cara is officially taller than me, and she is twelve. :(

Emma Jane had her first breakdown. It was at the lunch after the funeral. She had had no naps all day, so that was the cause of the exhaustion. She fell, and after she fell, she just laid down, and just started crying. It was so sad. So, Carl's uncle laid down beside her to cheer her up, and she just cried harder because he wasn't her mom.

FUN at Nana's and G-pa's

Well, my sister, Lindsey, and her family, came down to Dothan, where my parents live, for two weeks. We had so much fun hanging out with her and her family. She has two adorable little girls--Dallas and Brenna...and her third girl is on the way. EmmaJane had so much fun playing with them. It was a blast! Whenever I get together with family, it always make me wish that we lived closer because that is how it should be. It is just so much fun to get together. Here are a couple of pictures from our trip down there:Me and the kids all ready right before church!

A family shot as we're headed off to church.

Emma Jane with her Nana. She loves her Nana so much. She always yells "Nana" and runs around the house looking for her. She is attached to my mom's hip. She is her best friend. The day we come home, she always wonders where she went.

Grandpa just chilling with CJ on the couch...after all, that is what CJ does best--he just loves to chill. He's going to love football season!

Emma Jane had so much fun jumping on Nana and Grandpa's bed with her cousins. It was so cute. They were all laughing, jumping, and diving into pillows. We were just hoping she wasn't going to break the other wrist. Even with a broken wrist, Emma Jane can't be kept from jumping on the bed!

Emma Jane sporting her pink cast. And, yes, it is waterproof. It is awesome. She can take baths and go swimming with it. It is amazing. It just dries out on its own and doesn't stink. We usually keep a sock over it b/c it is rather coarse and very hard. She is supposed to get it off tomorrow. Woo Hoo!!

Our little cutie! CJ is almost 5 months old. I can't believe it. He is such a cute little man. He has such a sweet spirit. He gives you this big grin anytime you get eye contact with him. He makes you feel like a million bucks! What a sweetie!

The Difference Between Guys and Girls

We recently welcomed a new addition to the family (yes, vans have feelings, too) and the experience really highlighted the difference between guys and girls for me. I'm pretty sure it went something like this when we got to the dealership:

Courtney: I can't believe I'm shopping for a mini van! My chic days of riding in a sporty suv are over. I don't want to be a soccer mom yet:(
Carl: Man, think of all the space. Do you realize how many tools and building supplies I could fit in here. Not to mention, I could probably fit a whole basketball team in here for pickup games at church. Just...plain...awesome!
Then we realize the one we're looking at is the XLE Limited, Toyota Sienna's top of the line.
Courtney: Wow! This thing is fully loaded! Leather seats... I like. Okay, so maybe I COULD get used to a minivan.
Carl: Oh, crap. It's the expensive one. Yeah, I saw your eyes sparkle salesman. You try one move and I walk. Don't think I won't.
Of course, before we can even step in the car the features start exploding at us like fireworks on the fourth of July, the salesman, very carefully pointing each one out and the advantage it would give us. This is where the difference really started to set in.
Courtney: Oooh! The side mirror blinks when your turning, and they automatically dim when someone shines their brights.
Carl: Oh, boy here we go. How much do those cost to replace?! I'll bet a hundred bucks a pop, minimum.
Sensors for backing up...
Courtney: Perfect! I'll never hit anything ever again!
Carl: Is that a dent next to it?? Dumb things probably don't even work. There's another hundred bucks. I can already hear the mastercard commercial cueing: 'labor costs: $155... parts:$236...wife's happiness: priceless, no wait, make that $391 plus tax.' And we're not even in the dumb vehicle yet. Oh boy...
Built in window shades that roll up and attach at the top.
Courtney: I wouldn't have even thought of that! That's perfect for the kids in carseats on trips.
Carl: Window shades!?! Are you kidding!?? Completely unnecessary. I give 'em two weeks before the kids rip 'em off. $100...cha ching.
DVD Player and Flipdown screen.
Courtney: The perfect addition for the perfect trip:)
Carl: Yeah, right. I wonder how many quarters Emma Jane can fit in that little slot before I have to replace it. And I hate listening to a movie I can't even watch (signing time songs begin dancing through my head at this point...).
Heated seats.
Courtney: And I thought they couldn't do any better. This is better than coconut cream pie from Jim n' Nicks.
Carl: Please!?! The epitome of pointless! It doesn't even get cold enough here for seat warmers. There goes the kids (see link). I hate this van.
Oh yeah, and upgraded JBL sound system, complete with built in subwoofer in rear and midrange speakers in the dash.
Courtney: But... why?
Carl: Now that's what I'm talking about!!! Where do I sign.


Courtney and I always end up on the same page, but the book always reads way different to get there. We're both really happy we got the van. And we got a killer deal on it (yeah, that's right salesman!), so I listened to signing time the whole way home, in surround sound. So this is bliss!

NO MORE MONKEYS JUMPING ON THE BED!

Well, EmmaJane had her first accident yesterday that took her to the Emergency Room. We were on the bed playing, playing tickle monster, and throwing her into the pillow. As she was getting thrown into the pillows, she twisted her body, and landed wrong on her wrist. She ended up with a buckle fracture in her right wrist. She has a cast, but she should only have to wear it for a week. Then, she will get a brace that she can take on and off. Sad though.

Emma Jane cheesing it up for the camera. Showing off her cast.
I asked if they had any darker colors, and they said no. A one and a half year old with a white cast that we cannot get wet. Yeah...we will see how that goes!

Lake Eufaula

Well, these past few weeks have been a lot of fun. There will be more posts soon, showing more pictures of our travels. But first, here are some pictures from our most recent vacation to LAKE EUFAULA! We took off last Wednesday and left on Sunday. We met Carl's sister, Amber, and her family at the Grantham's lake house in Eufaula. (THANK YOU GRANTHAMS!!) It was a well needed vacation from working on our house. I think Carl and I needed to schedule a vacation just so we could see each other. It has been pretty crazy working on the house. Everyday presents a new obstacle, so we were over due for some major R & R! And, we got it. I think I could live on the lake...Let me rephrase that, I know I could...And, I hope to someday. It is the most relaxing place. It was so much fun. We wake-boarded, knee-boarded, tubed, swam, played in the sand, jet-skiied, watched movies, and played games. Thanks Amber and Ryan. It was a blast vacationing with you guys! And thank you Granthams and thank you mom and dad for coming up and letting us borrow your stuff! Here are some of the pictures:

The baby bjorn--the only way to survive at the Lake!

Carl and Emma Jane--in their quest to get a tan.

This captures Emma Jane's personality perfectly. She is such a goof!

Once Emma Jane got used to the sand, she loved playing in it.

Our Little Sun Babies: Halle and CJ...the only way we could keep them out of the sun.

We took a picture similar to this a month ago of the two of them. Halle is almost twice CJ's width. I quess we aren't feeding him enough.

Carl and Emma Jane enjoying a little tube ride...I think Carl was the only one that enjoyed that ride.

I finally got Emma Jane to like the Wave Runner...the key was letting her play with the stretchy, rubber cord that was attached to the key.

After a day of fun, Emma Jane relaxes and chugs down a Capri Sun.
Carl and EmmaJane burning rubber on the 4 Wheeler.

Chopsticks

From the movie "BIG." This is at our new favorite hangout, The McWane Science Center. This is when they came on the Fourth. I think it's pretty cool how coordinated they are at times.

First a few pictures...

Our Little CJ in the cutest Sunday suit his Nana got him.This is the blanket/quilt that I made for CJ. I finally finished it. That is the problem with starting a project in the middle of a move. It only took three months for me to do the final stitching.

Carl w/ the kiddies when we were down in Dothan.

Now, Here's a question to all you parents out there--Do you have any tips for picky eaters? Right now, Emma Jane only wants to eat hot dogs, bologne, cheese, scrambled eggs, bread, pancakes and mac and cheese. Any other meal that I make, no matter how good it is, she won't even try it. She has become so picky, and it is so frustrating...especially when you spend a lot of time preparing a meal. I don't want to starve her, but I don't want to start a bad habit by catering to whatever she wants. I can't start making a different meal for every kid. I don't want the kids to think that I am a short-order cook. Does any body have any good ideas how to get your kids to eat different food? The airplane trick just isn't cutting it. Please help.

Fun 4th of July Weekend

First off, Carl's sister, Amber, and their family came to visit this past weekend. Her husband just started the MBA program at UGA and will only be 3 hours away for the next year. We have already gone to visit them once, and we are so excited to do it again and again.

Second, on Saturday, we found the found the coolest place in Birmingham--the McWane Science Center. It was the best thing for kids--it had so many hands on things that kids could play with. It had two little cities made for kids 5 and under. It also had an IMAX theatre. It was the bomb. We could have stayed their all day, and we practically did. I now know where the kids and I will be living this summer. If you can't reach me at home, try there. And, if you are ever in Birmingham, you have to go! It is the coolest place ever!

Emma Jane on the slide at the McWane center.

EmmaJane shopping at the little grocery store at the McWane Center.

Amber and I caring for the wee babes while the big kids play at the McWane center.

Emma Jane feeling the love from her cousin Aubrie.

Saved the best for last--the two cutest babies ever. CJ and his cousin Hallie. CJ's got to gain some more weight because Hallie is a month younger than him and has got him beat!