VOTE FOR US! & Lots of News and Pictures

Before I get to the update, I need your help!

Click on this link and vote for Picture # 3!

All you have to do is enter your name, email address, and the #3 at the bottom.

http://www.philhyman.net/photography-contest/

Whoever wins gets their portrait hung in the Kindermusik studios.  My children wouldn't really cooperate like the other kids so that's why ole mama is in there, too (and Bonner's monkey)!

Okay, onto the much anticipated update.  You can admit it, you are a Bloodworth junkie and love living vicariously through us! Ha!  Good one, right?

Well, we went to the doctor for the kids' 15-month check-up last Thursday and I totally forgot to update.  I remember the days when I couldn't wait to get home to give everyone Ian's weight so that we could rejoice in answered prayers....well, now, I first must apologize for not updating sooner, but ask for prayers for Bonner's weight as she hadn't gained any weight in 3 months.  The doctor was a little concerned, but didn't recommend any drastic measures at this point.  Here are their weights, though ... drum roll, please :-) Bonner was still 18.5 lbs and Ian was 23.5 lbs - can you believe it?  5 lbs heavier!  Oh my, he is such a hoss!  We go back again in 3 months and in the meantime, please pray that we could find something that Bonner likes to eat so that she will start to put on some weight!

We had a good time in Perry this weekend with Stewart's family and his old high school buddies.  Here are some pictures of the kids hanging out with their cousins and grandparents!  Stewart's mom had this plastic pumpkin on her front porch that Ian clearly thought was a ball because he threw it around all weekend - inside and out.  From these pics, it looks like he is a real He-Man :-)

I can't figure out how to get those other 2 pictures bigger, but you get the picture (ha! no pun intended).  Here are some of Bonner - as you can tell, she is usually not walking around empty-handed - above she has her monkey and below, her Elmo!

We took the kids to the dentist today for the first time and they did good.  Now, there were a few tears shed, but it wasn't too bad :-)  Both are on target with their molars coming in and the 8 teeth they each have in the front (4 on the top & 4 on the bottom).  Fortunately, we don't have to go back for 6 months :-)

Because the weather was so pretty today and they only slept for 2 hours, we went outside for a good long time this afternoon.  They are so funny outside...Ian just wants to pick up every acorn, call it a "ba" (ball), and throw it.  You have never seen a child so obsessed with throwing a ball or hitting a balloon.  Bonner, on the other hand, runs right to the recycling bin to see what she can drag out and carry around with her on the driveway - today it was a large Wendy's cup, lid and straw.  As you can see, Bonner tries to put everything on her head - she tried to wear the Wendy's cup as a hat and was very frustrated when it wouldn't stay while she walked around.  Also, the child falls all the time and because she didn't have on pants, her knees got all skint up.  You would think that would phase her; not one bit.  She doesn't even notice, much less cry.

 

Bonner with her cup!

Bonner with her "hat"!

Here is some more trash that she found and carried around after she got tired of the cup!

Here she is "dancing" - for those of you that don't know, that is her "music arm" as Gam-Gam calls it!

Here is her skint-up knee.  Not her best smile, but it had nothing to do with the blood dripping down her leg!

This was the only picture I could get of Ian standing still ... you can tell by the pictures down below that he stays on the move!

Aren't they so cute?

This is Ian trying to feed the cement bulldog an acorn and his lovely assistant on notice in case the dog decides to attack :-)

My wonderful Aunt Joyce sent the kids their very own Trick-or-Treat bags, personalized and all, for Halloween and I tried all night to get a picture of them with their bags.  You can tell from the pictures that neither one of them would sit still long enough to pose.  They both love their bags, though, as they go around their toys putting stuff in and taking stuff out of the bags all day!

 

These are the best 2 I got and even they have room for improvement :-)

 

We have a big weekend coming up - our 2nd Halloween.  Bonner is going to be a UGA cheerleader and Ian is going to be a UGA football player.  I'll take lots of pictures, whether they are moving or sitting still!  It's a big weekend for the Georgia Bulldogs as they travel to Jacksonville to take on the #1 Florida Gators.  We haven't missed the "World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party" in many years, but this year we have used up alot of babysitting requests so we decided to sit it out.  We'll be cheering loud enough, though, to, hopefully, make a game of it!

Lastly, I would ask for you to pray for the Wilson family from Greenville whose son was born at MUSC way back in April with a congenital heart defect known as HLHS (basically, where only half of your heart is formed).  Josiah has remained in PCICU since birth and will go into the OR tomorrow to have a tracheostomy and a feeding tube inserted.  Of course, this is not the path the family would have chosen for their little boy, but it's, hopefully, temporary solutions so he can get strong enough to breath on his own which will enable him to start being fed by mouth.  Please pray for successful surgeries in an effort for the whole family to be home by Christmas.  You can follow their story here!

Have a great Halloween!

Busy Weekend & Busy Week

This past weekend was a real blur.  I put together a football-watching party for the UGA/Vandy game up at our Clubhouse.  We had a pretty good turnout and enjoyed watching the game with some good Bulldawg fans.  On Saturday night, our good friends, Larry and Shannon and their son, Austin, came up for to spend the night.  Shannon is pregnant and I was hosting a baby shower for her with some friends on Sunday so it was good to have some time to catch up with them - and to see her belly :-)

Sunday was the baby shower and then I went to the new Children's Museum here in Greenville, SC, to help decorate for their upcoming Halloween festivity called Booseum.  Our room is decorated like outer space with tons of black lights and lots of glow-in-the-dark planets and stars.  It looks great and I think the kids coming through will really enjoy it!  Let's hope so since so many people have worked so hard these past several weeks!

Ian and Bonner have their 15-month checkup on Thursday - I think they get some shots ... yikes!  Fortunately, the nurses give them at the same time so they don't scare each other into crying :-)  We will leave for Perry on Friday as Stewart has his 20-year High School Reunion this weekend.  Speaking of, on Friday night, we will all meet at the high school's football game and I bought Ian & Bonner these cute football outfits about a month ago....well, I totally forgot to get them altered so I'm taking them both tomorrow to the alteration lady to see what she can do in a short amount of time!  You think you're having a tough day - try wrangling two 15-month olds into outfits and then standing still long enough to get measured and NOT poked!  Should be interesting!

I tried to take some pictures today of the kids, but my camera is acting up so I gotta go get another one ... I want to get it before this weekend so get your eyes ready for lots of celebration and family pics from Perry next week!

Pictures from the Pumpkin Patch

I got the pictures back from our day at the Pumpkin Patch and there were some cute ones ... of course :-) The sun was bright so we have several with squinted eyes but these are my favorite.  I think we are going with the black-and-white one for the American Heart Association brochure ... not sure if it will stay in B/W or I'll get it in color but I just LOVE that picture.

Another Rainy Thursday

Well, today was another rainy day in Greenville.  The kids took full advantage of the nasty weather and slept in until 10 a.m. so that was nice.  We had a quick photo shoot for a Kindermusik contest this morning so stay tuned for those details.  This afternoon, the kids were pretty cute as they discovered their old car seats sitting in the floor and decided they wanted to rekindle the relationship they had with those little seats.  As you can see from these pictures, they started out with their respective car seats correctly; however, at some point, somebody got up and they switched it up!  They played for about 30 minutes getting in and out of them and just laughing at themselves.  So funny!

After they wore themselves out with the car seats, they went separate ways :-)  Ian went right for the bird to pull on his cage!

Bonner just tries to make us laugh all the time - she will definitely be the class clown!  Do you know those little baseball caps that they serve ice cream in at baseball stadiums?  Well, I think we went to a baseball game back in the spring and bought a couple of them for souvenirs for the kids and they turned up in their toy box recently.  Since then, Bonner has one close by her at all times.  She likes to put it on her head and laugh, as you can see in these pictures.  And, then she tries to put it on all the stuffed animals - her favorite being this sweet little monkey that Ian got while he was in the hospital!  The monkey doesn't really complain and she just thinks it's hysterical :-)

We have a busy weekend ahead - the UGA/Vandy game on Saturday with a big tailgate at our neighborhood clubhouse; then our good friends, Larry & Shannon Voss, are coming into town Saturday night; and some friends and I are throwing Shannon a baby shower on Sunday!  Lastly, on Sunday afternoon, I have to head to The Children's Museum to help set up for Booseum!  I hope that all of you in Greenville with children ages 5 and up will be sure to bring your child(ren) through the Spooktacular event of Booseum this week!

Hopefully, the sun will come out tomorrow ... hey, that sounds like a song!

What a Weekend It Was!

Well, unfortunately, our Georgia Bulldogs went down big time Saturday to those Volunteers.  Hopefully, they can rebound this weekend against Vanderbilt.  We went over to a friend's house on Saturday to watch football and let our kids play together.  Bonner and Ian had fun playing with someone else's toys.

On Sunday, we went to a nearby pumpkin patch and corn maze with the Junior League of Greenville.  It was great fun!  They had a petting zoo, a little tractor pull for the kids, a "football farm", a hay barn, and a beanbag toss!  Unfortunately, when we got there I realized that the battery in my digital camera was dead ... and, of course, I forgot to plug up my video camera the night before so it was dead, too.  There was a professional photographer there, too, so I hope she was able to get some good shots of them.  However, I was able to snap a few photos from my phone so I hope you enjoy :-)

They had a tractor pull for kids and Ian was dying to get in the little cart.  Well, he did really good until it pulled away and then he started crying and trying to stand up...needless to say, Daddy had to come to his rescue and they had to stop the tractor for us to retrieve him!  This picture was before they took off!  It's amazing how they can go from so relaxed to a meltdown in just a matter of minutes!

Here are Ian & Bonner picking out their little pumpkins in the pumpkin patch!

Here they are with the baby calf that was at the petting zoo.  They had goats, sheep, and a big pig - the cow was looking a little sickly so we didn't get too close.

Here they are enjoying the footballs in the "football farm".  Basically, they nailed tires up to boards and people tried to quarterback and throw the footballs through the tire holes.  The balls were pretty flat so Ian and Bonner could hold them just right :-)

I think this is the first time Bonner ever held a football -- powder puff, here we come :-)

And, lastly, here are the kids "playing" bean-bag toss.  Bonner was very interested in where the beanbag was going and Ian just tried to throw it in the hole!

Excuse that Clemson Tiger Paw -- we were in Anderson which is near the University -- this is definitely not something we have laying around in our backyard :-)

The kids continue to enjoy "school" - or rather, mommy enjoys the kids going to "school" :-)  We have a photo op this Thursday for our Kindermusik class so I will be rallying the troops (that's those of you reading this) to vote for Ian and Bonner as the cutest child ... so stay tuned.

I have made the kids' first dental appointment for the end of this month.  Should be very interesting :-) They have so many teeth so I just wanna get them checked out.  I guess I had better start brushing their teeth more regularly - it would be tough to have cavities at our first check-up :-)  Just kidding!

Also, Ian has an appointment with the Pediatric Urologist on November 19th for a consultation regarding his circumcision.  Poor guy!  You might remember that they wouldn't do this while at MUSC because of the heart condition but now that we are 6 months post-op, we have received clearance to go ahead with the surgery.  I guess the good thing is that by doing it at this age, he will be sedated; however, I'm sure when he wakes up, he's going to wonder what went on down there.  We'll keep you posted on the surgery date so you can pray for him (and for daddy who cringes everytime the discussion is brought up)!

Hope everyone has a terrific week! We love you!

Jennifer

What are the chillins' doing these days?

Several of you have asked recently, "Well, what are the kiddos doing these days?"  So I wanted to answer and let everyone feel my pain - ha! - just kidding!

1) They are both walking; haven't figured out how to run yet, but that's okay .... it will come in due time!

2) I guess we all think that our kids are really smart at this age, but I am amazed at not really how smart they are (I mean, they are prodigies and all - ha!), but more so on how quickly they pick things up.  I showed them the pumpkin on their shirts today one time and they knew from them on.  It's amazing!

3) They are all into the sounds animals make.  Ian loves the cat sound "Meow" in a really high pitch and Bonner loves "Woof! Woof! Woof!" for the doggie ... you knew we couldn't go with "Bark" because that doesn't work with our Georgia Bulldog cheer.  They love the duck making a "quack" noise and say that one really loud.

4) Bonner likes to try and make you laugh by putting a washcloth or her lovie on her head like a hat.

5) They immediately touch their head when you sing the song "Head and Shoulders, Knees & Toes!"

6) Ian loves to paint at school -- yes, they paint at school; however, Bonner doesn't like to get her hands dirty so she doesn't enjoy it too much.

7) We are starting to go outside more these days and neither one of them like the grass ... they touch it and then edge back a little.  Going outside, though, really leads to lots of accidents so we try to minimize our time on the concrete!

8) They both love to the do the "Gggooo Dawgs! Sic 'em! Woof! Woof! Woof!" cheer.  They are so cute as they start swinging their arms around in the air when you ask them what a Georgia Bulldog says!

9) Bonner doesn't eat near as well as Ian.  He will pretty much devour whatever you give him and in any quantity; she prefers macaroni and cheese (I guess she gets that from me), cheerios, and fruit.

10) The great capitalistic society that we live in has already taken its toll on these children as they immediately recognize Mickey Mouse and his friends, Elmo and the Sesame Street crowd, and even Handy Manny!  Bonner loves Curious George and Ian starts dancing if you mention Elmo because he loves it when Elmo sings!

11) They are down to one nap a day which makes scheduling our daily outings even easier!

I guess that is about it.  I promise to get some more pictures posted of them before long ... and maybe even get some video posted.  They are so much fun, but alot of work.  They go to Mother's Morning Out Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 9 a.m. to noon and then my great helper, Gina, still comes in on Tuesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. to watch them while I go to work.  This new schedule is great and gives me some downtime each day!

Other than the kids, we will put our remodeling project (which is already over budget and hasn't even been big on yet) in the next week or so and then keep our fingers crossed that someone will want to take it on.  We are adding a 3rd-bay to our garage and then building 2 bedrooms and a bath above the garage.  We are also adding a screened-in porch and redoing the deck.  Should be very interesting!

In the meantime, we are going to redo our master bath and our hall bath as we have committed to NEVER moving :-)

You know where we are so we would love to have you stop by anytime!  We love each of you so much and thank you for loving us!

Have a great week!
Jennifer

GGGGOOOO DAWGS!

Well, this week has been a strange one ... the kids have been battling colds and have the worst runny noses I've ever seen!  Hopefully, though, it'll get better soon.  Stewart and I are heading to Athens today for the weekend -- the kids are excited to be hanging out with Gam-Gam and Grandbuddy :-)

It's a big game for the Bulldogs tomorrow 'tween the Hedges.  We take on the LSU Tigers, a team that's pretty darn good.  Hopefully, that red-headed quarterback of ours can pull out a big win -- or just a win!

We are finalizing the plans on the home renovation and look forward to getting those bids out in the coming days.  We won't start demolition until the first part of 2010, but we are getting excited!

Well, there's really not much going on with us...just tired from chasing both kids around as they walk, walk, walk everywhere.  With the beautiful weather, we have started going outside more which is fun!

We hope everyone has a great weekend and we'll be in touch soon!
Love you,
Jennifer