Thanksgiving Weekend

We had a nice Thanksgiving weekend full of family, fun and food. We visited with Brian's family in northern Indiana and Ohio. Above is Brian's sister, Molly, her husband Chad, and their son Ben.

Brian posed with his mom, Aunt Kathy, and Uncle Lynn. He said they could pretend he was the fun brother they never had!

Lizzie and Ben are pretty fun together. They are both three and therefore sometimes they play together and sometimes they don't. They were hugging each other here.

Friday brought shopping for me, Molly and Karen. Then Ed, Brian and I hit Hyde Brothers, an incredible used bookstore in Fort Wayne. Ahhh, I have new books to read!

On Saturday, we headed to Science Central for the afternoon. It is a hands on science center. Zach rode the bike and watched the skeleton to see how his bones were moving.

Brian pulled hard to raise himself to the top using the pulley system. He DID make it!

Lizzie and Ben played in the play area. They were hamming it up through the "bubble."


Jacob loves the "tilted room." It is built on an incline. He likes to go in there and try to walk to the top and then slide down the floor.

What did the kids do at Grandma and Grandpa's house? Wrestle on the air mattress!

On Sunday morning we woke up to SNOW!!! We all love snow! The flakes were giant, fluffy and beautiful! The kids played, posed for pictures,

caught snow on their tongues,

and had snow ball fights!

Our kids were afraid we would come home to find no snow. But they were lucky, we came home to a "winter weather advisory." We had about 3 and 1/2 inches already with the chance of more and some blowing tomorrow! They had fun shoveling our driveway and making awesome snowballs - check out the one in Zach's hand!

After playing in the snow and putting up our Christmas village. We are ready to settle down for the night. What a great weekend! We are thankful for the family, friends, and fun God has blessed us with!

Giving Thanks

We are giving thanks here at the Paragi house. Zach seems to be responding very well to his meds and his temp is down. So, we are going to pack up and head to Grandma and Grandpa Paragi's house for Thanksgiving. We have a busy weekend planned - yummy turkey, Science Central, visiting with friends, shopping - and we are praying that Zach remains healthy enough to participate with us. If not, I am sure he will love lying around on the couch, watching football and letting his grandma spoil him!

Zachary's Turn

We just returned from the doctor's office where Zach got a shot of rocephin and a prescription for a z-pack. The doctor said his lungs didn't sound too bad, but with his fever (103) and his coughing until he almost vomits, he didn't want to mess around with it. So, my poor big guy got a shot and it hurt! I felt so bad for him. First of all, there is not an ounce of fat on the kid so he definitely felt the entire effects of the shot. Second of all, it is terrible to watch you child try to hold back the tears. He finally let them roll and it was all I could do not to join him. He is recovering nicely here at home, by reclining on the couch and watching college basketball.

We are hoping the antibiotics take effect quickly and he is able to make the trip to Fort Wayne for Thanksgiving!

Celebrations Everywhere!

On Friday, I joined Jacob's class for his Thanksgiving celebration. We did all kinds of fun things like playing games, weaving placemats and making butter. Then they all gathered together to eat their feast. Above is a picture of Jacob singing the Thanksgiving song.

Lately, we have been seeing a new side of Jacob. His calm laid back reading side! This is a sight that I am still not used to seeing. . .


After school on Friday, we headed to Indiana to visit family. We went to my niece's first birthday party. Here she is posing with the birthday cake my mom made her!

Lizzie spent a lot of the time talking to my grandma. Lizzie "got her nose," tried on her rings, and even gave Mamaw some lip gloss! They both spent a lot of time smiling.

Then, she went and hung out with her daddy and my grandpa. I am pretty sure they were talking IU basketball and how badly they stink!

I tried and tried to get a picture of the four kids, but they just wouldn't cooperate. The pictures were terrible. This is what most of the pics looked like:

We had fun visiting with everyone. Zach and Papaw Burton went to visit the "knife guy" and Zach came home with several new pocket knives for his collection. And Mamaw spoiled us all with Krispy Kreme Donuts! Wii at Aunt Kelly's house was a lot of fun too!

On Sunday, we went to visit Grandma and Grandpa Ellis. Brian and Jacob helped Grandpa put up the Christmas lights.
We are home for a few days before we head out to Fort Wayne for Thanksgiving and a visit with Brian's family. I am feeling better aside from this nagging cough and cold. I just pray that we are all healthy for our Thanksgiving!

On the Mend?

Well, late yesterday afternoon, I caved in and went to the doctor. Actually, I sobbingly (is that even a word?) called a friend and asked her to drive me because there was no way I could either drive or wait till Brian got home. The doc prescribed me antibiotics for walking pneumonia. I am actually feeling a lot better today, but not even close to 100%. The fact that I am upright at the moment speaks volumes. My fever still hasn't completely broken, though. It is running about 100, but compared to the 103 all day yesterday, it feels very good!

The only upside to this? Chick flicks - lots and lots of chick flicks between naps.

Thank Goodness

Thank goodness for friends. I am still fighting this Paragi Plague, and am still generally miserable. This is also Brian's weekend to work. Since we don't live near family, we don't have the luxury of sending everyone to Grandma or Grandpa's house. So, I am very thankful for our friends who have volunteered or agreed to help me today. Zach caught a ride to his ball game with a great family, and my friend Tami is coming to get the younger ones so they can have a play date at her house and I can sleep. Yea!!!! I am having massive mommy guilt about not going to the game, and letting my kids eat chips, Dr. Pepper and candy as breakfast (that is all they could reach) while I was still asleep. But, in the long run, I guess it doesn't really matter, huh?

Mommy's Down For The Count

Sorry for the lack of posts this week. I seem to have caught the Paragi plague - achey, fever, generally miserable!

Healthy and Busy

The boys are finally healthy! They did miss school on Wednesday and Thursday, though. We did not have school Friday, so that gave them a free day to rest. I am very hopeful that we are done with this junk for a while. And, no, Lizzie did not end up sick.

On Friday, the kids and I headed to town for some shopping and lunch. We went shopping for gifts to put in our Operation Christmas Child boxes. The kids loved picking out things to send to their "friends." It does my heart good to see the kids getting so excited about giving. We also browsed the toy section and made their Christmas lists. After the massive 1 and 1/2 hour trip to Target, we decided to get some lunch. Zach wanted Fazoli's but the little ones were not excited. We went there and now we have three Paragi children who are in love with those breadsticks.

Lizzie was eating double-fisted - a breadstick in each!

On Saturday, Zach had a basketball game. His team won 25 to 15. It was their first win. Zach was disappinted that he only got to play for 10 minutes. I tell you what, that was a wise choice on his coach's part. At the end of the second 5 minutes, he was really gasping for air. He had basically been lying around sleeping all week so his stamina is shot! He did well during those 10 minutes though. According to him, the stats were as follows: forced 2 jump balls, 2 outright steals, and 3 assists.

Warming up before the game.

Jacob and Lizzie enertained themselves very well during the game. When they weren't cheering or eating pretzels, they read books.

Today brought Sunday School and church. This afternoon, we had a swimming party for the kids who have been attending Sunday School this quarter. Of course, our three fish had a wonderful time.

A picture of Lizzie taken through a foggy lens. Gotta love that smile!

Taking a quick break for a picture!

This picture is so Jacob! He runs on a level 10 100% of the time!

Everybody is tucked into bed, and even though it isn't quite 9:00, I think Brian and I may be headed that way too! We are tired after a busy, yet very fun, weekend.

Elections, Conferences and Fevers

The day started off with Brian taking Lizzie to vote early this morning. He said she talked non-stop. She was excited because she got an "I Voted" sticker. Then at lunch I hit the polls. The boys were excited because they each got to vote in their respective schools. So, all members of the Paragi family have done their part in this election.

After school, we had parent/teacher conferences for each boy. They both went very well and we are very proud of them.

Then, after conferences, we decided to hit a local Mexican restaurant for dinner. As we were sitting there, Zach starts chilling and saying he doesn't feel well. Brian touches his back and says he is burning up. Then, not to be out done, Jacob says he doesn't feel well either. Another touch to the back, and yep, you guessed it, another warm kid. So, we gather our food up to leave and I go ahead and take the kids to the van while Brian takes care of the check. As I strap Lizzie in, Zach starts yelling something about puking. I look up and ask if he is going to get sick and he says "No, Jacob is!!!" So, without sharing nasty details, let's just say that Jacob's tummy "rearranged" itself right there in my van. And Lizzie, who is feeling just fine, was very loudly giving me all the play by play details of what was happening in the back seat.

Woo hoo. . . fun times at the Paragi house! Excuse me while I go Lysol down my house. . .

A Day at Conseco

As a prize for being one of the top collectors for Jump for Heart at his school last year, Zach got to attend the American Heart Association's Jump Rope for Heart night at the Pacers/Celtics game. Brian and Zach headed over to Indy for a day of fun. Grandpa and Uncle Jimmy met them for the game. Luckily, the camera worked for Brian this time.

Zach compares his wingspan to Hibbert and Ford.

Highlights? Shooting around on the court for a few hours.


Getting autographs,

And dreaming of playing in an arena like this.

The Pacers win made the home crowd happy. But Brian, a Celtics fan since childhood, wasn't as excited.

Jacobisms

Jacob is always saying things that just make us laugh. Tonight, I was reading to him about mummies. It was pretty freaky - how they took the brains out, etc. and he was hanging on every word. All of the sudden, Jacob's eyes get big and he says "WEIRD!" I asked what part he thought was weird, and he says, "Your top teeth don't move when you read. Only your bottom teeth do." Ok, so maybe he wasn't so attentive to the story as we was to my mouth!

Then, after prayers, I was cuddling with him. He was almost asleep when he rolls over and whispers, "When will I be able to climb on the walls?" Huh? I whispered back, "What are you talking about?" He said, "You know! You told the doctor that I would probably be climbing the walls. When do I get to learn how to do that?" I explained that was an expression for being energetic and I said that because I thought his neb treatments might make him energetic. He was sorely disappointed to realize that he wasn't going to get to learn how to wall climb. I am pretty sure his exact words were, "Man, that stinks!"

Gotta love and appreciate the way his mind works!

Candy Galore!

We have enough candy in our house this morning, to keep the dentist busy filling cavities for months! Halloween was a very busy, but fun, day.

The boys and I all had Halloween parades and parties at our schools. Lizzie joined us for the fun as well. Here are the boys during their parades.

Jacob was something from the Star Wars Clone Wars. I am not good on that stuff.


Zach couldn't decide what to be, so he was a sports addict - complete with his popcorn bowl and remote!


Lizzie joined me at my school for the parade and parties. She was Cinderella during that time. However, she threw a fit and said she was NOT going to wear that at night. It was itchy and hurt. So, after school we came home, gobbled down some McDonald's and she transformed into - Simba!

Here they are - all ready to go get some candy!

We trick or treated at friends' houses and then hit a local church for their Trunk or Treat. Jacob and Lizzie got bunches of candy and played games with friends while Zach hung out with his friends and helped man the football toss game!

Lizzie needed her Daddy's help with the golf game.

Today is sure to be a day of rest and recovery for myself and the two youngest. Brian and Zach are headed to Indianapolis for the Pacers game. Hope he can get my camera to work this time!!