Daily Life with Kemper: Very belated update and pictures

We've settled into a nice routine here in Tennessee...James is busy with work (as usual) and Kemper has started going to a pre-preschool 3 days a week. I'm enjoying being able to grocery shop without Kemper begging for "cackas" or whatever other random snack he sees on the shelf and decides he wants. I've also been able to run lots of other errands that I had officially deemed impossible with an almost two-year old who refuses to listen to what Mommy says and then throws the tantrum of all tantrums when I correct him or make him stop doing whatever it was that he was doing. Whew....hello terrible twos!

Poor little guy has been battling some sort of cold/sinus/allergy issue for almost a month now but we think we've finally gotten it under control. At first, the doctor told us it was asthma and had us start him on an inhaler (ha, now isn't that fun with a 2-year old!) which didn't seem to make a difference. He was waking up and coughing for 30 or 40 minutes at a time in the middle of the night and it sounded like he was going to cough up a lung. After what has amounted to weekly trips to the doctor and different amounts of the inhaler coupled with steroids and now an antibiotic, I think we've finally turned the corner. It's been narrowed down to allergies which are supposedly HORRIBLE in this part of Tennessee. Poor kid...thought he got that from his Mommy until Daddy came home from work one day with red, itchy eyes and a runny nose. Convinced him to try a Benadryl last night and that knocked him out in his chair around 8:30pm. :)

We enjoyed a nice visit from Grandma Rita & Grandpa Phil this past week. Kemper enjoyed getting spoiled and having new playmates while Mommy and Daddy got to go on two dates and relax a little around the house! Kemper and Grandma discovered the giant dirt pile behind our house that the contractors have compiled as they clear land for the new houses. Living in a neighborhood that is still in the process of being constructed has it's advantages when you're the mom of a little boy....it's like his own personal playground of dirt and rocks! He has a blast filling up his bucket, bringing us handfuls of dirt and rocks and covering his shoes in dirt. The bathtub has begun to show the red ring of spring!

We're gearing up for a visit from our friends Lynse, Gavin and baby Trenton this coming week! We're so very excited to be able to spend more time with Lynse and Gavin and to meet baby Trenton. Kemper and I took a trip down to Georgia to visit them right before Trenton was born while James was in Louisiana and we had a blast. It was so great to reunite the boys and for Lynse and I (and Jon!) to be able to catch up. We're so blessed with wonderful friends the Army has helped us to find! They'll be heading to Fort Campbell sometime next year so we're anxiously awaiting their arrival!

So far we have lots to look forward to for 2011 - James will be heading out for another extended vacation with the Army this spring. Kemper and I already have a busy few weeks following his departure as I gear up for my 5 year Meredith reunion (holy cow, 5 years?!) and we will be celebrating Kemper's 2nd birthday in Virginia a little late so that we can celebrate with family & friends there! We're also looking forward to the arrival of our first niece (and Kemper's first cousin!) Miss Hannah who we can't wait to meet on our trip to Virginia! So, while we don't wish all of 2010 away, we do hope to stay well occupied and that James's vacation will fly by for us all!

And now...pictures!