This is the post where I attempt to make excuses for not blogging for a month.
Right after I submitted my last post, Henry came down with something. He had trouble breathing one night and I really wanted to take him to the ER. Kent said we should keep an eye on him and he did improve by morning. Henry began running fevers in the afternoon/evening and seemed well the next morning. When Monday morning rolled around I took him to the doctor. He had developed a cough and was cranky. Kent suggested I go ahead and take him in to rule out an infection.
Boy! Did he have an infection! Turns out he had a severe case of pneumonia in his right lung. While waiting in the doctor's office I recalled that earlier the previous week he choked on some peanuts that a certain older brother dumped on the floor. Since there was a possibility that he could have aspiration pneumonia (peanut in the lung!), I was told to return if he didn't improve over night. The next morning we suspected he needed another antibiotic shot so we returned to the doctor. From there, I was told to take him to the children's hospital. Sometime after midnight, Henry was admitted to LeBonheur where we spent a week! He underwent a bronchoscopy where a tiny piece of almond was removed from his lung. Yes, I said he was eating peanuts. We're aren't really sure where the almond came from. Was it in the peanut package? Did he find a stray almond and choke on it at the time he was eating the peanuts? Did he choke at someone else's house, the church, etc and we didn't realize he had a nut at the time?
Needless to say after a week in the hospital, we needed time to recover. {I have pictures so a more detailed post on the aspiration will be coming. ;) }
Then full school began. All of our curriculum {I *heart* My Father's World - more on that later} came in so we dove in with both feet. The first day we didn't finish our school work until 9 pm! A 12 hour day for "school" is not the norm. Thankfully, it's gotten much better and we can generally wrap everything up in 3 hours.
Next, my brother-in-law took a two week vacation out West. This left Kent alone at the office working 10-12 hours days. When Daddy puts in that many hours at work, Mommy is exhausted!
Somewhere along there I also shared some news. We are expecting baby #6. He or she should arrive sometime near Christmas, though Kent says it must before January 1st {tax deduction :) }! Pregnancy in one's early 30s is very different from pregnancy in the early 20s. Couple that with the "fun-filled" month we had and I was just too spent to write coherent sentences.
So, can a get a "Wow, she was seriously overwhelmed" sympathy pass or am I doomed to the blogging Hall of Shame?
{I do have several future posts in my head but another busy month coming up. I'll do my best to not leave you hanging. }
Henry has been cruisin around the furniture for some time now. When I was still pregnant with him, I came across this walk behind toy. It's all wood and soooooo cute! We got it out and Henry loved it!
He gets behind it and goes until he hits a wall or furniture. Luckily, he's the youngest of five so when he hits an obstacle someone is there to help him get back on track.
Look out!
Henry's before mentioned nut landed him in LeBonheur for the better part of a week. It wasn't an enjoyable experience but have you ever seen anything so sweet in a hospital gown?
Henry was a very good patient. He didn't feel well but he was very easy to get along with. I asked the nurse to put his IV in his left arm so his fingers on his right hand would be free. Fingers and plenty of cuddling with Mommy was all he needed.
Henry on the other hand, handled it just fine.
It was really amazing how much better he felt after the nut was out. When he came back to his room, he took a nap and woke up as the old Henry. He crawled, laughed and played just like he was at home.
Bye, Bye LeBonheur - you were good to us but we won't miss you!
On Kent's birthday we ended up eating lunch at the Mexican Restaurant. This in itself isn't newsworthy. If you have ever eaten at the local Don Jose and didn't see at least one member of our family, you don't eat out enough. ;)
The kids soooo wanted them to sing to Daddy and after confirming with Unc that it was indeed his birthday they came out with all the fanfare.
Everyone had to try on the hat. Though for some reason they seem to enjoy the festivities more on Daddy's birthday than they did on their own. LOL
In early July, I felt the need for a zoo trip. We had a cooler day {certainly cooler than what we've had lately} and I wasn't feeling too nauseous so I asked for volunteers. Ty and Ben wanted to go to work with Daddy so I took Madisyn, Griffin and Henry to the zoo.
We've never visited the Birds and Bees exhibit before and since we were a smaller group than usual it seemed like a good time to check it out.
The first part of the exhibit was in an air conditioned building {YEA!!!!} and had all kinds of information on bees. There is an observation station where you can see in the bee hive and watch the bees fly in and out through a tube. They visit a lovely little flower garden outside a picture window and come back in with their pollen. They also had adorable cut-outs and my little hams enjoyed having their picture taken. In fact, Griffin often asks me to take his picture. Such a difference from his older brother!
The birds were also a little leery of Griffin. Can you blame them? A very excited, barley 5 year old boy who jumped around like some of those bees found their way into his clothes! It took awhile but he finally "caught" one.
There is also a really neat water feature complete with koi pond. Henry wanted in the water! but he settled for sitting with Sissy.
The highlight of the visit was getting to ride the tram. After walking all the way to Teton Trek, I was feeling weak. Since Henry had just turned one the operator let him ride for free and we took a little trip around the entire zoo. Griffin and Madisyn thought it was great!
After an ice cream stop in the air conditioned cafe {notice a trend!}, we headed to the playground. Henry and I watched from a shady area while Madisyn and Griffin had the place to themselves.
While I wouldn't have visited if we didn't have a membership, I found going to the zoo an hour or so before closing to be great. The crowd was really thin. It did seem that several of the animals had "gone to bed" but we still had plenty to do. 
I also found it very strange to be there with only three children. I kept fighting off a panicky feeling that I had left someone behind!
