It's all fun and games...

...until your husband winds up with a raging case of Shingles!

The bulk of our days were spent at home while Ryan recuperated--and, if we're being honest, he was a little too, ehem, medicated for much else--and tried not to scratch.

The good news is that Shingles aren't contagious. The bad news is that it is an incredibly painful condition.

But it was so nice to have daddy home with us more than usual! Mind you, I wouldn't wish Shingles on anyone. But it was still nice to be in his company. Camden was purely delighted to wake, every morning, and see that daddy hadn't already left for work.

Things are returning back to normal, though... and hopefully that means I'll be blogging a bit more too. Hopefully. Because there are some exciting things on the horizon, and I'm excited to share them with you!

Thursday already??

Oh man... is it really Thursday already? Where has this week gone?

I've spent my days buried amongst laundry piles, birthday ideas and plans, a bit of tummy trouble for the little one, visits with grandparents, and a little boy who has decided he might like to try napping only once a day.

Just in case you find yourself anxious for a peek into our world this week, here it is.

He's discovered his ability to climb in and out of his inflatable duck, and so he routinely removes all of the toys and climbs in.

I'm here. Sort of.

Seriously--I'll get back into my groove one of these days, right? Because my blogging groove, as of late, feels more like a blogging black hole.

We're currently recovering from round three (I think?) of the sickness that never ends, and boy, am I ever sick of being sick. I didn't think I'd ever say this, but I'm almost tired of wearing pajamas and lounging so much.

Meanwhile, fall is settling in around us and I couldn't be happier. This year, I've discovered I'm really, really looking forward to everything fall brings. Warmer clothes, trips to the pumpkin patch, a certain little one and his first birthday...

How about you? What's your favorite thing about fall? or do you detest the cooler months?

...and then I got sick.

We just can't catch a break this week! Camden came down with a nasty bug mere hours before boarding our first flight home, and then promptly shared it with the *entire* family.

I was the first time catch it from him, naturally, and I'm finally starting to feel human again, but our week has consisted mostly of napping. and tissues. lots and lots of tissues.

Does anyone have a quick, efficient method for de-germifying all of these darned toys??

Oh, the cuteness!

Camden has been perfecting his newest 'trick' over the last couple of days, and he was finally ready to show off for the camera this afternoon.

I guess, being a still photo, you can't *really* see what is happening. But trust me, he's waving at you. I'll work on a video, because it's worth it.

Don't you just want to wave back?
I know I do!!

It's been a rough day around here, with a case of the baby barfies and some major teething pain, but Camden and daddy are asleep and I'm taking full advantage of the time.

See that new set of buttons at the top?? Feel free to check them out! If you've got a suggestion, concern, question... whatever... please let me know!

I hope you're enjoying the remodel so far. How am I doing? Is this a bit easier on the eyes, with the white background? I really do thrive on your opinion... so feel free to share.

Random Rambles...

I always feel as though I've been sucked into some sort of time warp when I'm recovering from the sickies. Anyone else suffer the plight??

*crickets*

...hey guys?? Guys!! You didn't all take off while I was being, um, boring... did you?? I hope not. I hope you'll come back soon, if you did. I promise to try to provide more entertainment.

My little cutie-kins is on the mend, but still working to get that second bottom tooth pushed through. He's stuffing everything he can into his mouth... including the strings on my sweatshirt.

...and his Raz-Berry, of course! (Speaking of, mama's with teething babies, you NEED to buy one of these. Trust me. Just go and get one.)

He also gave me a 'fat lip' today when we bonked heads. There was blood. It wasn't pretty. I slapped on a little lip gloss and called it good, though... because really? No one looks at me anymore... they all just look to see who's in that stroller I'm pushing. (You'll understand my omission of a photo concerning the puffiness of my lip, I assume.)

Also new in the world of Camden... trying to get the ball before the kitty can swat at it.

...and sitting...

...and you can only see the next photo if you promise not to look at the background. Because it's not pretty. It's quite tacky, really. That's my "stuff I need to deal with" stuff.

Ready?

Remember--no background.

Ok.

...and getting your sucker of a mama to help you stand up and/or kneel in front of various objects... (heaven help me if he decides to start walking early!)

If you haven't already, don't forget to sign up for the BINSI giveaway!! I'll be announcing a winner this Friday...

The Sore Throat-Stuffy Nose Fairy...

Sometime around eight last night, the sore throat-stuffy nose fairy came for a visit... ugh! I've gone through dozens of tissues already this morning, and eating my Strawberry Shredded Mini-Wheats was a painful experience. Ick.

Working with germy kids is terrific, isn't it??

Update

Ok... well, today didn't exactly go according to plan.

Last night before bed, I wasn't feeling very well, but tried to brush it off and just figured some sleep would make me feel better. Boy, was I ever wrong! I ended up spending most of the night awake, with fever, chills, body aches... you know, the flu.

So I called the principal with whom I was supposed to meet, and asked if maybe we could reschedule for next week. I explained that if it weren't for the fever, I'd suck it up and come in, but really I didn't want to share my germs with all of those kiddos in the school.

So, because of the MLK holiday and what-not, our meeting has been pushed to next Wednesday. Stinks that it's a ways off now, but I'm ok with that. It'll give me some more time to collect my thoughts, I do believe.

Thanks for cheering me on, everyone... now, back to bed I go.