the scoop

I wanted to share the results of my MRI yesterday. I have a ruptured (or herniated) disc in the lumbar area of my spine. It looks a bit like the picture above on the right (oh, except for the fact that my bones are not purple and discs are not mustard yellow!) . That yellow part would be the part that is pressing on the nerve. I can't say that I am exactly happy to hear this news, but I am happy that I don't have to have an immediate surgery. My doctor is wonderful, and we decided to take the path of physical therapy, stretches and overall core strengthening. So for the next few weeks I will be starting physical therapy and healing. I think the hardest part is not being able to pick up Tyndale - besides it being an organizational thing (planning for nap, in and out of the crib)- I just miss holding him! He gives me kisses all the time and crawls up in my lap, but it's just not the same. I feel less pain everyday, and that is sooooo good! I'll keep yall posted.

WHO DAT NATION!!!

We are beyond excited about the Saints win tonight!! So excited that they will have a chance to play in the Super Bowl for the first time! Who DAT! Here are some pictures comemmorating our past Saints fan-dom...enjoy!

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this is Quinn by the way!!

Quinn again

Tough guys representing the Underpass Gang...

update

For a little over a week now I have been dealing with some pretty tough back pain. I have been having this problem for two years now on and off, so I figured that it was time that I finally see someone about it. Sooo...on Friday I went here...

and talked to a doctor and took some x-rays. I go back next Tuesday for an MRI and another appointment with him to see what the problem is and what we need to do about it. Yes, it scares me that his name is listed under DIVISION of SURGERY above...hopefully it won't come to that. But every cloud has a silver lining, as they say, and I got to eat some yummy sushi with Kristy right after my appointment! We are already planning for where we will eat Tuesday.... :)

an open letter to Mama and Daddy from Tyndale

You know that I am pretty easy-going and laid-back...but seriously, could you please cut my hair?

I think that I would look really cute with a bowl cut...
something....anything....

seriously.....

Photoshoot...the good stuff

So I did get a few shots that I really liked...

Behind the scenes -- photoshoot

Since the weather was so beautiful today, Tyndale and I headed outside for some exploring and pictures. He is such a boy it cracks me up! Here is a rough picture schedule of our outdoor time:

Let's start with eating a rock...

then dig in the flowerpots...

pick it up....

and dump it out...

playing in more dirt....

playing with gas cans (not really)....

looking at his shadow...

sitting in a pile of wet leaves...

looking into the trash can (Brad is cringing)...

and eating acorns he found on the ground.

Such a boy! I love it!

New Cullen in the family...

(Sorry...couldn't resist the Twilight reference!) We have been seeing a lot of THIS face lately...

...because Tyndale is getting his K9 teeth in. Poor baby! These seem to be way more painful than the molars! Hang in there T!

January craft

As a 2010 initiative (I am not crazy about "resolutions") I decided that I would do at least one craft per month with the kids. They LOVE arts and crafts, and it is such a great learning experience! We started slowly this month with the good-old pinecone bird feeder. We have been feeling sorry for our resident avian friends because of the cold weather lately, so we thought this would be a good craft for January. We hung them up, and for two days.....nothing! Then slowly the birds started to visit our feeders. Gimmie let us borrow two of her bird identification manuals, and we LOVE to look up which type of bird is visiting our feeder! Then we get to learn all about each bird...where it normally lives, what type of nest it builds, what its eggs look like, and so on. It has been a fun learning experience for all of us!

what to do when it's 23 degrees outside?

Have an indoor beach party of course! We pretended to be warm on the sand and cool off in the "waves." Quinn must ask God to send summer every day!

Sorry Tyndale..we will get you some manly sunglasses this summer, promise!

We love Aunt Bobbie!

Camera

I have been loving my new camera, and I thought I would post some shots I took around the house yesterday. I have much to learn, but I am really looking forward to it!

sleeping beauty

New Year's Day dinner

We got together with Big Daddy, Gimmie, and the Belks for a New Year's Day dinner, to get in our black-eyed peas and cabbage for the new year. We also had a delicious chicken and some baby-back ribs, courtesy of Big Daddy. The girls enjoyed some dress-up time, as you can see. And the boys? They were perfectly content to play in a box!

Tyndale loves a no-no

we don't usually dress him this way...promise...

Here are some things that Tyndale is really enjoying getting into these days: playing on the stairs, opening the dishwasher, pushing buttons on the tv, and just about anything else that he is NOT supposed to be doing! He loves to say, "no, no" and shake his head no as he is doing the offending activity. His new words lately are: cracker, hug, hot dog (LOVES them, i tell you!), Bun Bun, night night, and bubbles. He still loves to say "hot" about coffee, candles, the stove, and the fireplace. He even was saying it about the (cool) mist coming out of the humidifier last week!