March Madness, a Smashed Finger, and Hives

Welcome back to our new blog,

We hope everyone is doing well and has enjoyed a nice start to the weekend. We kicked off this morning with a 5.2 mile run...it was pretty gnarly, but I'm really glad that I went. I can't really complain, as Michaela had to push Landon and his huge stroller and she still was stride for stride with me down the home stretch! I felt like I really needed to get out and do something healthy after the craziness that was last weekend.

Last Thursday I kissed the wife goodbye, took Landon to school for his first day in the 2-year old classroom, and then made the 2.5 hour drive to San Jose, CA to watch March Madness with my two best friends (Adam and Dave). What transpired next is sort of a blur. The very first game we got to watch (and our seats were 17 rows off of the court) was an amazing game with #13 Murray State upsetting #4 Vanderbilt (see the video below). We then proceeded to watch more upsets throughout the day, with intermittent stops at a local bar. By the end of day one I had already lost my voice, was totally exhausted and exhilarated at the same time, and itchin' for day two. Let's just say I woke up feeling like I just hopped in the Hot Tub Time Machine and it took me back to college. The second day we headed out to one of Adam's friend's houses out in Hollister, CA (about 45 minutes from where we were) for a day of sun, swimming, drinking games, great food, and of course, more basketball. It was another awesome day and at one point I decided to pull the trigger on something I had been mulling over for months/years...I shaved my head (of course I called Michaela first). It's been a long time coming and something that I'm very pleased with...not to mention summer is right around the corner. Anyhow, I woke up on the third day even more "under the weather" than I did the day before....but I had to rally, as I had one more day of games and fun with the boys. The Saturday games weren't quite as dramatic as the Thursday games, but we still had a great time and partied hard one last night. Here's a video of the first game's buzzer beater. It is insane! You really need to turn up the volume to get the full idea. If you look closely, you can see Dave and I for a second...




I woke up on Sunday thinking that I'd rather swallow a jar of nails (and wondering if maybe I did the night before) than make the 2.5 hour drive home, but I made it home safe and sound. The main difference between my college days and now is that when I used to party hard for three straight days, I could always waste a full day sleeping to get back to normal. Well let me tell you, when you have a kid that's missed you for three straight days, that is just not happening. I don't know how I did it, but somehow managed to muster up enough to chase around Landon and play with him all day. I had an absolutely fabulous time and want to make sure to thank Adam and Dave again for making it happen, but I also want to thank Michaela for allowing me the time to get out with the boys. I'm sure it wasn't a picnic for her doing all of the things with Landon that we typically split 50/50, but it sounds like everything went very well.

And I must say that every time I leave Landon, even if it's only for a day or two, I feel like he grows and gets noticeably smarter. Maybe it's just me, but it always leaves me in a state of wonder.

One thing of note that happened while I was away, was Landon got his first major injury. And I'm not talking concussions or broken bones (knock on wood), but on Thursday he ended up slamming one of his fingers in his dresser drawer, then tried to pull it out too fast and ended up with a pretty big gash. We were concerned that he might have broken it at first, but after a few days of scooby-doo band aids (which he absolutely hates) and antiseptic, it seems that there will be no lasting damage.

The night I got back into town Landon's sleeping got really out of whack and he was very fussy and whiny all night long (which really helped me recover from the weekend, let me tell you). We thought it was related to his finger at first, but by the next day he had a 101 temperature and we also started to notice little red welts appearing on his body and face. Our first thought was "did he get chicken pox even though he's been vaccinated?". But after quite a lot of correspondence with his doctor, it sounds like he has hives. His fever has since left, which is great, but he still has itchy red welts on his face and arms, which makes taking pictures sort of seem pointless.

My Mom was nice enough to take Thursday off of work to stay home with the little trooper, and I took Friday off as well. Hopefully these things will get lost sooner than later, but in the meantime, we'll just do the best we can.

As for the rest of this weekend, we think Aunt Colie and Cousin Ashley are going to come over and hang out tonight, and we're hoping to get in a good housecleaning at some point. Other than that, we'll see if I can continue to recover from the madness of last weekend.

We also want to say that our thoughts and prayers are with Michaela's Grandma Carol. She has gotten ill over the past few days and is now in the hospital. We are sending her thoughts of love and hope she makes a speedy recovery.

Hope you all have a great weekend...see you soon!

PS~ This is just a funny video...Landon is way into using the hose now and this time he turned it on me...