Tuesday, April 28, 2009

House offer

Today we put in an offer for a house. We should find out in a week if it was accepted or not. I'm a little nervous because I found out it is a short sale, which means banks are involved. I am hoping that it doesn't take too long. I introduced myself to the volleyball team today at Lakewood. It went really well. Chad did the same to the basketball team and the elementary teachers. Both went well for him too. He is feeling a lot better, which is such an answer to prayer. Aid and Kian did great, but are super tired. We had Kian's pictures taken today. I had a great coupon and bought a couple at the Picture People. The main one's will be taken tomorrow somewhere else. I bought half a cake and am letting him go at it in front of the camera tomorrow. Hopefully they turn out okay because it will make quite a mess!
Here are a few of the pictures from today.



Monday, April 27, 2009

sickness

Chad still is sick with the flu...he's doped on drugs right now. Hopefully this doesn't last too much longer! He went to school today-which he shouldn't of. I have sorta been a single parent the last couple of days and boy does it make me appreciate single parents! I truly don't know how they do it! God must give them an extra bout of strength. Thankfully the boys are pretty healthy again, so it's better. Kian has been ultra ultra clingy. He wants to be held all day long which isn't feisable. Use your imagination and guess what happens when I don't comply! :)
Tomorrow we are taking Kian to have his year old pictures taken. I am just hoping for a couple of smiles! Kian took a step yesterday! Very exciting! He hasn't since...but it's only downhill from here! :) Tomorrow we are also going to Auburn to see a house and maybe put an offer on it. I am soooo excited! I am praying that the house is still on the market. The price just dropped $9,000! We would love to buy it. Please pray!

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Spaghetti again!


I love it when my team beats Chad's team. My Bulls beat his Celtics today in double overtime. However, I don't take quite the satisfaction because Chad is sick and has a fever. For lunch, we had spaghetti. I love taking pictures of the boys when we have spaghetti! Somehow, it always gets everywhere! Of course immediately after, they both get baths.


It was a difficult day at church. I talked to 2 of my volleyball girls about leaving. I know that Lakewood is where God wants us, but leaving some of the people here is difficult. I have great girls on the team that I genuinely love. Thankfully we are not moving 10 hours away and I can still have a relationship with them. Seeing them cry however? not so much fun.

Well, I'm off to church with the boys!

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Sunny Saturdays

Kian is feeling much better! Yeah! Yesterday he finally started eating and drinking. He is still fussy, but I think he is on the mend! It was a gorgeous day yesterday and we tried to spend a lot of it outside. Aiden had a great time golfing and playing with neighbors. Last night we went to the Essenhaus with my parents, aunts and uncles, and grandma. We had a good time and it was a much better day than the day before. Today we went to a neighborhood garage sale for the morning. Tonight Chad and I are going to the dollar theater. I don't know why, but I am so stinkin' excited to go out tonight! My parents are watching the boys and we are going to the movie "Taken".
This Tuesday we are all going to Auburn to visit the school we will be working at this next year. Yes, we are moving! Chad accepted a position at Lakewood Park Christian School to teach Physical Education. On Tuesday Chad is meeting with the elementary teachers and the basketball team, and I am meeting the volleyball team. We are also hoping to make an offer on a house! I am so excited to think about owning a home. We actually have changed the house we were planning on buying. We found a more updated, bigger home, for a cheaper price! Please pray that everthing goes smoothly and that we make the wisest decision! We will miss ECA, but are confident that this is the next chapter in our lives.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

my sick child

Sooo, today I could seriously use some encouragement. I'm so glad I don't know the future because I'm hoping (and praying) that tomorrow is better than today! I know God won't give us anything we can't handle, but it's been a tough week!
This morning we woke up and I went to change Kian's diaper and it was completely empty. He was so lethargic and just wanted to cuddle. I called the nurse and she told me to bring him in to ensure that he wasn't dehydrated. Kian vomitted in the car right before we left. Kian and I went to the doctor which ended up being worthless. Basically he is not dehydrated even though he is hardly drinking and hardly wets his diapers (which is a good thing he's not dehydrated). The doctor just told me to keep Tylenol or Motrin in him. He still isn't eating or drinking and now he has occasional diarrhea and he vomitted on me 3 times today (within about 1 minute). I'm just discouraged and I just want him better! It's hard because I can't spend as much time with Aiden. Sorry, I'm throwing myself a pity party. Things aren't that bad and this to shall pass. Right? Right???

bottle woes

I cannot get Kian to drink! I'm starting to get nervous. I put him back on the bottle a few days ago and the last couple days he won't really drink from that either. He used to drink milk from the bottle...not anymore. He is only having about 8 oz a day of any liquid so I know he is not getting his nutrients. Last night we finally got more formula and whole milk, so we'll see if he will adjust to that. He has a couple of signs of the beginning stages of dehydration and I REALLY don't want him to go to the hospital. I'm probably being a worrisome mom, because he's acting pretty normal. Please pray that he will start to drink some liquids!

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

thank heavens for bedtime

Have you ever started off the day and couldn't wait for bedtime? Today was sorta one of those days! Kian had a terrible night last night which meant we had a terrible night of sleep. I accidently woke him up when I checked on him before I went to bed. He screamed for quite some time. So I made him a bottle (which he didn't want) and then laid him back down. Cue the screaming and this time for about 30 minutes. So I get back up and check on him and he falls asleep on me. I put him back down. Cue the screaming for about 35 minutes. So I get back up (is it starting to sound repetitious yet?) and Kian falls asleep on me again. The child would not sleep in his crib. I let him sleep for about 10 minutes and decided that I wouldn't sleep if we did that. Chad sang to him and put him down. Cue the screaming. Finally he fell asleep around 12:50. Yikes. Do ya think we have a strong willed child?? He has been in very clingy mood with me recently. I mean if I leave the room for a second he cries. I'm hoping it's just a stage!
Anyway, that was the night and it sorta carried over to the morning. Aiden woke up in a bad mood, Kian woke up in a bad mood, and I woke up in a bad mood. I lead singing in elementary chapels on Tuesday mornings so I was praying that God would help me to focus. We arrived at the school and into the gym. Aiden was sitting with his friend and Kian was standing alongside one of the chairs. It was about 15 seconds before I was about the go up and the chair Kian was holding on to tipped backwards. Kian fell completely on his head backwards and then the chair fell on top of him. I grabbed him just as I was introduced to go up. He is screaming mind you. I calmed him down and went on up with him in my arms. I start to sing with the kids and realize there is blood running down his mouth. So one of the teachers came up and wiped the blood from his mouth and we continued to sing. He wasn't crying at all and must've bit his lip or something. He has a bruise on his nose, but he's fine. AUGH! What a morning!
The rest of the day was better minus the headache I had. Kian has diarrhea and his first diaper rash. I'm hoping it's not because of the milk he's drinking. The nurse wants me to give him milk from a bottle because he wasn't drinking much from the sippy cup. It's worked, but now at some point I have to wean him again from the bottle! It's better than dehydration though!

Monday, April 20, 2009

weekend update

Boy it has been busy for the Hibbard household! Saturday began with Chad and I heading to a workshop in Goshen. We went to a class at La Casa about buying a home. We learned a great deal and it had a lot of great information. We knew having a good credit score was important, but we didn't realize it's basically your whole life if you want to a loan! Thankfully we have a good credit score so if we were to buy a home, we should get a good rate. The class was 6-7 hours. My parents watched both boys and had a fun time with them. ECA had an auction and pasta dinner that night. We all went and I think it went really well. Hopefully ECA was able to raise a lot of money. I think the goal was $15,000-$20,000. Chad and I got home and put the boys to bed and ended up going to bed at 9:30 (which is quite early for us!).
Sunday we had church and had a guest speaker. His name was Mike Cahill. Chad and I had the privilege of hearing him in New Jersey. What a phenomenal speaker and man! He travels all over the country challenging Christians to evangelize and spread the news of salvation to their friends, strangers, family...anyone who doesn't know the truth. His hobbies include..... umm witnessing. It's what he does for fun. He has witnessed to Charles Barkley (his good friend from Auburn University), Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, and on and on. Basically anyone he comes in contact with. He doesn't want autographs, just a conversation. He was excellent and really spoke to Chad and I. Every second, 2 people die. Do I care about those people? Do I care enough to do something about it? We bought both of his books and I am really looking forward to reading them. It made me feel excited to boldly go and talk to people about Christ. What's to lose? It's a win, win scenario everytime!
On our way home from church, we asked Aiden what he learned in class and he replied, "Jesus died on the cross!" It was so cool to hear my child talking about God. We had a great conversation with him on the way home. I pray that he becomes a child of our great God!
While the boys were napping, I looked for birthday gifts for Kian. I can't believe that he is almost 1! He is starting to stand on his own and you can tell that he is starting to think about walking. He still is hardly drinking ever since we cut out the bottle. It makes me a little nervous.
I had to got to church early to practice singing with 3 friends for a luncheon and then Mike spoke again in the evening. It was really busy, but a great weekend.
Right now I'm watching a little girl for the day and she is playing. Aiden is watching "Little Einsteins". Kian is napping! Oh, I forgot something, Aiden didn't get up this morning until past 8 and Kian didn't get up until after 8:30! I got so much done! Yeah!

Friday, April 17, 2009

sunshine



The last couple of days have been picture perfect. The sun has been out, it's been about 70 degrees with just a light wind. Absolutely gorgeous! Yesterday the boys and I went with my grandma to Wakarusa for several garage sales. We had such a nice time. We went with my aunt and cousin to lunch and it was a lot of fun! Kian slept in the stroller for about 20 minutes so he was a little cranky. We didn't find a ton of deals, but I am realizing that I enjoy looking!

Today I watched a couple of boys in the morning. Aiden had a great time playing with them. He spent the afternoon playing golf in the backyard. He ran everywhere and loved being in shorts and a t-shirt! Today was the first of many applications of sunscreen this summer! He was filthy and sweaty, but loving every minute of it! Kian also loves being outside, he just is constantly putting things in his mouth! Chad is actually golfing right now. It's too perfect not to be outside!

Tomorrow Chad and I have a workshop for 7 hours and then go to ECA for an auction and spaghetti dinner. Busy day! We are very excited to have Mark Cahill speaking at our church this Sunday! He is a fantastic speaker and is very passionate about evangelism. We look forward to hearing him!

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Injuries


We were at the library tonight and Kian accidently hit his eye on the corner of one of the shelves. I'm pretty sure he is going to have a black eye. He's okay, but it's not the first and probably won't be the last of getting injured!

Monday, April 13, 2009

God-things

I just watched 24 and we are upset at this episode so I'll try to remain calm as I type. :) That was a serious run-on sentence...my English teacher mother would be so proud!
Today was filled with making phone calls and appointments and then making a few more phone calls and appointments. I still haven't fully unpacked from spring break!

Chad and I were playing with the boys downstairs this afternoon. Kian started to crawl up the stairs and Aiden ran over and stopped him. He is such a protective big brother (when it's things he's not causing). Over break Chad and I were on the computer at his dad's house and someone mistakenly left the basement door open. We didn't realize and Kian was crawling everywhere. I looked a couple of seconds later, Kian's body was almost over the edge of the stairs, ready to fall down. Aiden saw it before we did and ran over and held him at the waist. He was talking to Kian saying, "no no no no...don't go down the stairs." I was so proud of Aiden! I praise God that he was there and thought enough to hold Kian from falling. What an amazing God-thing! I try not to think about what could of happened to our precious little boy if his precious big brother wasn't there.


I wish I would take the time to notice more God-things, things that could only be explained by God. I guarantee they happen often. God is too powerful for them not too. It challenges me to be looking though!





The pictures above was taken last night at Aiden's bedtime. He loved the Burger King crown. We used it to talk to him about who the true King of Kings is. I pray earnestly that Aiden becomes a child of that King someday.

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Spring Break






I'm going to try and remember this last week...some of it is a bit of a blur! We had a day trip Monday to Auburn, Indiana. Kian stayed with my Grandma (a huge blessing by the way). We left Tuesday morning for New York to visit Chad's family. The car ride started off rough with the boys, but eventually we made it to Binghamton. It took about 10 hours. The boys did pretty well, but didn't sleep well. We were planning on staying in a hotel in Binghamton on Tuesday night with Kian while Aiden stayed with Chad's mom. Aiden ended up not feeling well (which was probably due to the massive amounts of food he ate during the trip, the kid was always hungry!) and slept with us instead. Needless to say, I didn't sleep much. Both boys in our room with one in our bed? Nope, sleep was not on the agenda, not to mention Aiden kicks like no other.


On Wednesday we spent the day with Chad's mom and it was a busy day! We went to Chuck E Cheese, Chad's mom's work, lunch with Danny, and then left for Rochester. It was a lot of fun though. We arrived late Wedneday night in Rochester. On Thursday we actually relaxed! Oh how nice it felt to not have to do something! Chad was able to watch the Master's on TV. Friday we went to Chad's uncle Sonny's memorial service. He passed away back in January, but had the memorial service so more family could attend. It was a very nice service and it was great to visit with so many relatives we don't normally see. We had lunch at a country club after the service. Aiden and Kian were such troopers. I left early to allow them to have naps and later that night Chad and I went out with Chad's cousin Robb and his wife. We had a great time playing cards and of course the ladies won...which helps. Saturday we celebrated Easter with the whole lot of relatives and then left that afternoon for home! Whew! We got home a little before 1 am on Sunday morning. I took a ton of pictures, so here are a few of them.
This may be my favorite picture ever of Kian. I love it. His favorite sandwich is pb&j, however, this is normally the result of him eating one!
A group picture of Chad's mom, Courtney (Chad's sister), and our family.
Aiden was lifting weights and showing his muscles
A group shot of Chad's dad, Maureen (Chad's stepmom) and the boys.
Aiden golfing at the park...it was so cold!
Kian with Chuck E Cheese. I think they really bonded through this picture. :)
Kian snuggling with Chad at Cheesecake Factory

Aiden dunking on Chad. Foreshadowing of things to come??
The first picture taken at Chuck E Cheese.
Aiden playing air hockey with me.

It's always nice to visit family, but I wish we had about 3 more days before we went to school! Aiden received a ton of candy for Easter from the grandparents and now thinks candy is the best invention known to man. We also have to bring him down from the sugar high he was on! We had a great week!

Sunday, April 5, 2009

New Pics!

So here are some pictures with the new camera! I've gone a little crazy taking pictures the last couple of days. The only way to get Aiden to smile is to catch him by surprise or to take one when he is not looking at the camera!

My sweet Kian! I can't believe that he is 11 months old already! Such a sweetie!

He loves the basketball hoop and enjoyed playing at Nana and Papas with a hoop he could dunk on!

Once again, Kian getting into things and crawling under and through anything he possibly can.

I love this smile.


I told Aiden to tackle Kian which didn't make Kian so happy. I put them in their Easter outfits today since I didn't know where we'd be next week with travelling.

He loves making faces. Notice how curly his hair is...when I wet it, it curls right up.

I asked Aiden to smile for the camera and this was the result.

Ah, caught him off guard!

He has such pretty eyes!

Doesn't he look so innocent? Don't be fooled! Very sweet, not so innocent. :)

Saturday, April 4, 2009

quick trip to Chicago

Yesterday we all drove up to Chicago to drop off my parents at the O' Hare airport. They are visiting Shan and Russ. Aiden loves airplanes and there are MANY at O'Hare. He was in heaven! Everytime he saw one he would comment. You can image how many times he commented! After we dropped off Mom and Dad, we went to Woodfield Mall. We had a great time. The boys did fantastic and it was a great trip. We had planned to go to the Lincoln Park Zoo, but it closed earlier than we thought and it wouldn't of been worth our time. That will be our next visit!

I love Chicago. It is my favorite city. It's large obviously, but clean and it is so pretty! I love all the lights and buildings. It's next to the lake which makes it even prettier!

Have I ever mentioned how much I love my husband? Why am I bringing this up right now? Because he let me get a new camera today! I purchased the exact same one that I had before but I got a great deal for it. The battery is charging as we speak! I am so ready to take pictures!

Tonight Chad is having the JV boys over at my parents house for a party (there is more space). I am making Mexican haystacks and cookies. I think it should be a lot of fun. The final four is on tonight and Chad is just a LITTLE pumped. We are staying overnight there and then going to church the next morning.

Thank you for all who prayed for Chad's mom. She is safe and doing well. For those who didn't hear, Chad's mom lives in Binghamton, NY where the huge shooting rampage was yesterday. She worked in the building next to the American Civic Association (where the shootings occurred). Her building was in lockdown for several hours as they didn't know where the shooter was. The shooter held 20-40 people hostage and eventually turned the gun on himself. Many died yesterday. We pray for the families who were struck by this tragedy, but praise Him that Chad's mom is safe!

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Meijer's

I know what you're thinking...what 2 posts in one day? Anyway, We went to Meijer's tonight (pronounced MEE jers by Aunt Courtney) to buy a few items for dinner. We were in the baby section looking for some juice when Chad realized he parked the cart a little too close to the food. Kian started to grab and pull this down. For some reason Aiden noticed Kian and just spazzed out. He began to flailing and grabbing the food and dropping it to the ground like it was a game or something. Notice we are talking about GLASS baby food bottles. Bad things generally happen when glass is dropped to the ground. Thankfully I caught him after only 2 fell, but one broke. Obviously we were not so happy with Aid. We made him apologize to the worker for breaking it and also has to do a few chores to pay for it (which we didn't have to pay for it, but we thought he should still work it off). Chad and I just looked at each other as if to say, "that is YOUR son!"

Talking

I remember a time thinking, " I just want to hear Aiden talk. Why doesn't he speak yet?" People kept telling me that I would one day I would probably want him to shut up and at times that is true. But now it's Kian's turn. I can't wait until he talks. I'm pretty sure he can say two words. He says them over and over. The first? Da da. The second? No. Neither one is very surprising, however, both are very cute when he says them. This morning everything was noooo no noooo no and generally he said it when he didn't want to do something.

I'm starting to understand Kian a little more. I realize he isn't just going through a stage when he wants mommy and daddy, I think he just needs us more than Aiden did. He seems to need a little more security and generally is a little more fearful than Aiden was. When he doesn't get what he wants, boy does he let you hear it. There are days where I still have to put him in his crib and just let him scream for 20-30 minutes because he's mad. When I get him up, he usually is much better. However, he is such a loving boy and is very strong. He has learned to use his voice and his recent discovery is screaming just to scream. He'll laugh after he does it. Let me tell you he has a set of lungs! His favorite food is peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I don't actually think he's supposed to have peanut butter yet, oops! It seems like every stage I love more!

Today was a little overwhelming for me. We have 4 meeting on Monday and Tuesday and I realized today that I only have today to prepare for them. Not to mention Aiden struggled a little bit too. So I made lots of phone calls and e-mails and ran several errands. Aiden took his nap 2 hours late! So we're going to my parents now for chicken on the grill and then more errands! I can't wait til spring break!