Uncle Time

SP got some special attention from her Uncle today. He was loving how stiff she was and just hopped her all around. She loved it.


Visiting while eating dinner

Following Jesus

Yesterday our sweet niece got baptized. DD was so excited for the baptism. LM had a hard time sitting through it. It was wonderful just having family there and the kids loved watching that. I'm so glad they decided to drive from Utah to share this special moment with all of us. Aunt Kristi was wonderful and volunteered to keep our two oldest kids overnight. Poor LM fell outside on the sidewalk right before we were leaving. It was so sad. They took them to church in the morning since they were coming up to Grandma and Grandpa's that evening anyway. How fabulous!!! Sadly SP had a rough night so we didn't get as much sleep as we were hoping for. The ride home was really quiet too. Thankfully the kids did great. LM was perfect during sacrament. Really!?! She told us LM sat with his hands folded half the time! I asked her who's kid she had. I guess the only problem they had was DD woke up in the middle of the night and was disoriented not knowing where she was and it took awhile to get her back to sleep. The kids LOVED it though!

Poor Girl

So last night when SP woke up for her feeding she was BURNING up. I didn't even take her temp but just gave her Tylenol since she had her shots we were giving it to her anyway. This morning she was burning up again so I had DH get a thermometer to check her temp (the Tylenol should have still been in her system then) and her temp was 103.4!!! That's so high for our little girl. It's her first major temperature. DH called the advice nurse and they said to watch her and make sure she's eating, which thankfully she was. We don't need her to loosing any more weight. Our DR called a few hours later to check again to see if her temp had gone up anymore and how she was acting. She was sleeping and actually slept most of the day away. A nurse called again a few hours later to recheck how things were going. SP was sleeping at that point. The feeding before her nap she didn't eat much at all but woke up in the middle of her nap to eat and ate well. I was so glad! After her 3 hour afternoon nap (which normally is only 1 hour) she was so much better. She felt great to the touch and was playing with some toys and more herself! I'm so glad she's better. I pray she's still feeling well tomorrow too!

Tonight DH's brother and wife came over for fondue after all the kids were in bed. It was so fun to visit and eat some yummy food. I wish they would move here so we could visit all the time! I just love interacting with them and laughing.

DH was feeling better but played ball tonight with a friend and is now sounding terrible again. I went to bed with a sore throat and still have it. Thankfully nothing else so far. I pray it's just that and will then go away! We visited with DH's brother and family that just got here from Utah. It's so fun seeing them and talking. It's hilarious to see how the kids react too. DD got EXTREMELY shy and had to have help getting in the house and up the stairs even. She so silly.

We have had a great day so far today though it's a lot hotter than it is at home. I found out I burnt my head REALLY bad at the lake so I'm parting my hair on the other side which is really weird feeling. Grandma and Grandpa took everyone out for breakfast this morning. It was very yummy and the kids were wonderful there. I helped my SIL at the laundry mat doing her wash since her washer decided to break. It was nice to spend some time with her and help her out. There are some major advantages to a laundry mat. You can get all your washing and drying done at the same time. Thankfully the kids got great naps in today too. DD has missed hers the last two days which thankfully she's still been in a pretty good mood with not even going to bed till 10 or 11pm. DH's sister just got here so I think we will all head out to dinner and frozen custard. Yummy!

The family reunion was great. We were able to play a lot and talk to lots of people. Sadly LM got really sick on the twisty roads up to Bear Lake. He was eating his snack and all of a sudden we heard him throw up and he it just kept happening. He threw everything up from lunch on. It was so sad. I scrubbed down the car seat cover yesterday. The kids loved the lake. DD said her favorite part was splashing in the water and LM loved shoveling the sand into his mouth over and over. It was gross but he kept doing it after I rinsed his mouth out. DD was really cute last night saw the moon just coming up the horizon and asked DH if they could sit down and watch the moon rise. It was so cute he said. She asked him if it was just like the sunrise. DH just LOVED that moment. So sweet.

Daniel one of DH's cousin's kids was the master builder with the plastic cups!

Saturday night the kids got glow sticks from Cousin Lisa and LOVED making shapes with them. The bottom right pic is Shylee one of DD's distant cousin's.

On Friday we were lucky enough to help celebrate our nephew's birthday. Sadly the kids were napping while the actual party happened but DH was there to celebrate and take pictures. The kids LOVED playing with his huge set of bubbles he received and eating the cake once they woke up.

Fun Times!

LM and DD LOVED riding the scooter around

(Friday 6/25/10)



Notice they are SHARING the bike :-)
(Saturday 6/25/10)

Bubbles!

Reconnecting with Family

Bear Lake
(Saturday 6/26/10)

Here comes the Moon

DH's favorite moment with DD at the reunion
(Saturday 6/26/10)

We are now in Bountiful and are visiting with my BIL and SIL. It's so nice to talk with them and see them. We are going out for breakfast in the morning and doing laundry I believe. I'm looking forward to relaxing more.

End of our Cali Trip

March 28, 2009

Having some fun before hitting the road for the long drive.

DD has finally learned how to walk down the stairs like her cousins. She LOVES it.

So we survived the car ride home. We didn't even use the DVD player until we were an hour or so into Oregon! I'm so proud of DD. She did a great job. I did climb in the back in between the car seats once because LM was having a really hard time and was so fussy. He calmed down once he saw me though. We made two longer stops for an hour and let DD run around and play while I fed. Overall it went well. DD woke up 45 minutes from home and couldn't get back to sleep so we turned a video on for her again and she watched that till we got home.

Our first feeding stop. DH went in and got us some drinks and DD LOVED her little soda. I also love the while driving pictures. DD's form of entertainment was picking her nose. Lovely. It started out only happening when she was tired in the car but now is all the time.

DH had to get his Inn-n-Out fix before hitting Oregon so we ate at the last one on the way. They gave DD a cool sticker sheet while we waited for food and brought the kids these hats. DD LOVES her hat. It was great entertainment for a while in the car.

I need another vacation. I came home to a big mess. Our house was left like a bomb blew up since I had been sick. Today I got a little bit of unpacking done. I did three loads of laundry and picked up the house a little since it was left in chaos. I think it will take me a week to get everything cleaned and organized. I'm so happy to be better though. I'm hoping to tackle LM's room and get the wallpaper paste off the wall and paint his room and get it ready for him. I got him sleeping 9 hours straight in CA though the last two nights we were there he was at 8. I figured that's close enough and I could get up once to feed him and that's not so bad. Watching all the kids two days in row in California did tire me out though so I don't think I will be getting much done (at least not quickly). I think it might take a whole week to recover.

We went over to my parents around noon to visit with my brother and his family that came for the weekend from Boise, ID. It was so fun to visit with my brother and SIL. Her littlest is a few months younger than DD and they had fun playing with each other though DD also played with her cousin who's 3. We are blessing LM tomorrow so they came for that and to visit everyone for part of their spring break. We will have a full day tomorrow with the blessing at 11, lunch/dinner at DH's parent's at 3, dessert with everyone at 4, and back to my parent's house till bed time. It will be a busy but fun day.

My brother's daughter just LOVES babies and was so happy to be able to hold LM. It was so cute to see. DD had a blast playing with her little cousin too that's so close in age. It will be fun watching them grow up together.

Cali Trip part 4

March 26, 2009

Those double blue slides are so steep. DD went down them the other night but I forgot my camera. She has no fear but at least she has common sense and went down on her tummy and feet first. The kids were so good and it was a really fun day at the park even with one trying to escape.

Today my SIL is getting her hair braided since her daughter asked why her hair is never braided like hers. It's a surprise to her daughter. I told her I would watch the kids for her and she was told it would be 4 hours. She ended up calling at lunch time and the lady said it would be another 2.5 hours! That's 6.5 hours. I took the four kids (4,2,1,0) to the park to play. I had my SIL double stroller and put her two in the back seat with the seat down, DD in the front, and the baby in the front pack. Thankfully LM slept the whole time at the park and I had him laid down in the back seat. The kids and I all had a fun time. We got home and I made lunch (chicken nuggets, grapes, raisins, and water) and then we piled back in the stroller to go pick up my SIL oldest daughter (5) from school. Her brother got out early today too so then I had all 6 home (thankfully it was nap time for the younger 3)!

My SIL's awesome hair (to be like her daughter's). What a great mother.

Tonight I went to my sisters again for pizza dinner. The floor in the bedroom was all finished except for the closet. I'm so impressed with how quickly my BIL is getting things finished! It was sad knowing it was my last visit with them but it was so much fun to be able to see them so many days in such a short period of time. My SIL picked the boys up from the airport at 8pm. I'm was so excited to see them but sad that we will be driving home tomorrow. I will miss the sun (it's raining at home) and the time I've been able to spend with my SIL. DD was so happy to see her Daddy and LM was so much bigger to DH since he's missed a little over an eighth of his little life. Babies change so quickly too.

Please pray for us as we drive home tomorrow that the kids will do okay. We are driving during the day and it's a 12 hour drive. I hope DD does well.

LM is starting to talk to us more. This particular video isn't great at capturing that but does capture spit-up and a sneeze.

Here's a cute one of the kids and LM talking more.

Cali Trip part 4

March 25, 2009

I discovered LM had almost turned himself sideways in the p-n-p when we woke up this morning. He is able to scoot himself around on his back by kicking his feet now. It's so fun once little ones start to move. They are so much happier and I love watching their development.

DD's vocab is expanding since yesterday when I worked on naming things with her while we were eating breakfast together. She kept pointing to things for me to name them for her. It was so fun to see that she wants to know the proper name for things. She has "chair" down now though she pronounces it like "chee". I tested her this morning by asking her what it was and she remembered without me needing to tell her!

DD is in Heaven being able to play outside all the time. I'm worried she's going to hate going home since I'm sure it will be raining when we get home. She's having so much fun playing with her cousin too though the more they are around each other they are battling it out with their independence. Being two and almost two is a wonderful stage!

We watched two more movies. One of which took us all afternoon evening to get through, Mad Money. It was cute. My SIL left for work and was only to be gone an hour so I kept the kids. They weren't ready for her yet when she arrived so she came back for an hour and a half and then went again. They still weren't ready so she just sat in the car and waited then. I watched all six kids and things went pretty well. There was only one time when I had three melt downs happening at the same time. I even had all six in bed asleep by the time she made it home! We then stayed up and watched, "My Sassy Girl"and ate pizza. It was a really cute movie. My SIL's sister dropped by and we chatted for awhile and it was fun to have a "girl's night".

My SIL picked up her dog from her parents and took her to be groomed. Doesn't Bell look amazing! She's such a sweet dog and DD just loved having a dog around to play with for the day.

Cali Trip part 3

March 23-24, 2009

SNACK TIME (after school and nap)

Monday I cleaned the house (laundry, dishes, and floors for my SIL). She finally let me know how she does her laundry so I could help her. There is so much to do since they have four kids! I really wanted to help her out this week while I'm here. She wants me to have a vacation though which is very sweet of her too. She went and rented us movies (9 of them!) and got us Jamba Juice! We watched "The secret life of Bees." It was really good.

DD has been having so much fun playing in the backyard with her cousin and new friends (my SIL's sister's kids). Though the two fight over the stroller they have fun together. It was nice to soak up some sun too! I'm going to miss this when I get home.

SIL's mom came over again Monday evening and we had tacos again. They were great! I'm in heaven with tacos three nights in a row. They were all so different too! I do think today and tomorrow I will want something different to eat though.

LM's really started to smile Monday! I was across the room and said his name and he looked at me and started smiling so big! I got a few pictures too. Some are not centered though since I was holding the camera out so he could see my face and smile. I just love his smile and cute dimple! It just melts my heart. DD also learned how to really jump yesterday instead of doing her skipping jump. My kids are growing up too fast! It sort of makes me sad.

So Tuesday my SIL and I watched a movie, The Neighbor. It was pretty cute. It's been fun watching movies with her though between all the kids and interruptions it took us 4 hours to get through the movie. I doubt we are going to get through all the movies she picked up for us to watch.

Right before we found out DH was online (Facebook- Thanks K for calling to let me know he was on) LM decided to roll over on the bed. I desperately wanted the camera to video it but didn't want to miss it so I just stayed and watched. I got pictures after the roll though. Not bad for being only 9 weeks old! You can tell he wasn't so happy to by lying on his back waiting for me to get the camera but there's nothing a Binky can't fix!

We were able to go to my sister's again for dinner tonight (I even survived driving in rush hour traffic and new directions!) I am getting better at driving on the freeways from driving to see my sis (and California ones at that which is such an accomplishment for me since I HATE driving from all my car accidents and still experience a little Post Traumatic Stress while driving on the freeway especially where my Jan 2006 accident occurred). We had some yummy pasta with dish (sausage, broccoli, penne noodles with olive oil and garlic).. We all LOVED it. DD loved the meat, noodles, and bread but gave me all the broccoli. I was amazed at all the progress her husband has made on the house since we were there last. He got the painting and crown molding all finished in the Mater Bedroom and was working on laying the hardwood floor (a major jig saw puzzle). DD and I played soccer in the backyard while dinner was being finished and then she ran all around the house chasing her Uncle while he was working and enjoyed watching him cut the wood outside with his big saw (thankfully she know when you say danger or hot to step back and stays away!). Thanks to all the exercise she only fussed for 3 seconds when I put her down that night. DD had fun playing more hide-and-seek along with shutting the front door (my OCD girl). My sister finished the family quilt for LM. It's so wonderful seeing my sister so frequently and for my kids to get to know her and her husband better. I wish we lived closer. I love my family. I'm so glad all of us kids get along and love each other.

The famous family quilt! Thanks everyone for your square and for all the hard work sis! You are the best and we love each and every quilt and all the love that you pour into it as you work on it.

We I got back to my SIL house that night the house was all locked up (every door- even the back door). I hoped the back sliding door would still be open from playing outside earlier. I saw a light still on (the TV) in my SIL room and thought she must still be awake. I worried that I had made her made and she wanted to punish me (silly thoughts I know) but then I realized she wouldn't punish her neice and nephew too. I didn't know what to do. After about 20 calls and ringing the door bell over and over again, knocking on the front and back door, I finally resorted to throwing something at the window like they do in the movies so I tossed up one of the girl's shoes that was outside. After a bunch of misses (trying not to throw it too hard as to break the window) I hit the window. Nothing. So I tried again. And again. Finally my SIL looks out the window and sees me and comes down to let us in. I guess her daughter had locked the front door before heading to bed after my SIL and made sure it was open for me. She had the cell turned off too and had fallen asleep and hadn't heard the door bell. I'm so glad we got in because I didn't have many more diapers for LM and thought of heading to a hotel but had no idea where one would be. What a crazy experience.

March 18-20, 2009

So far we took the kids to the library and Park on Wednesday (3/18). I went shopping at Target (Thursday) and spent more money than DH would have liked, I'm sure. I got a pair of capris and two shirts for me, some shorts for both kids and DD a few shirts and a pair of PJ's since they were on sale and the sale would be over before I returned home and food for the week. Then today (Friday) we hung out at and I took my two kids on a walk to the park again after dinner. My SIL works every evening so I'm alone every night but it's worked out. We see each other during the day and have had lots of late night chats (too late some times...past 3 am Wednesday night/Thursday morning). We have watched two movies together too. We watched "Fireproof" which was awesome and recommended by my friend. It's a Christian Film with Kirk Cameron in it. We may skip church on Sunday (Church doesn't sound all that appealing to do by myself in a strange ward with two little ones and trying to get DD in nursery and my SIL with her four kids by herself too) and head to the beach since she works all day tomorrow (Saturday). We will see.

Friday night*** DD was eating pudding*** I said some thing and she said no. I told her that wasn't very nice and she did her "evil laugh". She totally knew it too.

DD and her cousin had races in the front entry! They LOVED it. I had fun watching too.

I love the LM holds his little hands up while sleeping with his fingers extended. DD did the same thing and we thought it was so cute! Now I wonder if all kids to this or if only mine do?

Can you believe my LM is 2 months old already (March 19, 2009)! Where does the time fly. I love how he is such a good baby and allows me to lay him on the floor while I get DD breakfast and myself some and then only fusses to be held and fed himself after I am almost finished eating or cleaning up. I just love to hold and snuggle with him. He's discovered his tongue more and loves his swing for naps though his been sleeping so well in the p-n-p even with all the noise from the kids playing the Wii in the same room. He's such a good little boy! How I LOVE him.

I did a little photoshoot for LM's 2-month pictures and DD had to give her brother fist bumps and also her pointed finger. She such a crack up and a ham for the camera! It's been so fun to have this time with them. I've been so very blessed with two wonderful children.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

March 17, 2009

The boys then left early Tuesday (St. Patty's Day morning). We just hung out at the house that day (I took a nap since it was the worst night of sleep ever! DD woke up all night long and DH finally brought her to bed and she just wiggled around for 2.5 hours and I finally took her back into her p-n-p and she started to throw a fit. I told her if she wanted to stay with us she HAD to sleep and let her choose where she would go. She pointed to our bed so we tried it again but immediately she went into her "sleeping position" head down and bum in the air. We were able to sleep after that but LM woke up and needed to eat a couple times too.) What a long day. I also never succeeded in getting a St. Patrick's Day picture of the three of us in our shirts since LM blew out of his early, and the next green outfit, and the third. I ran out of things with green. The house was starting to smell like an outhouse with four kids in diapers.

I figured out that LM loves to have a burp cloth/blanket next to his face when he is sleeping. I guess it gives him comfort some how. DD loved playing with the little piano that we brought with us. The other kids enjoyed it too!

The kids enjoyed playing the Wii and watching movies. Us adults cleaned the kitchen and the little girls helped us too! DD decided she was finished before I returned with the camera but she helped scrub the cupboards too.

March 16, 2009

Last night was a hard night with sleep. DD woke up and we finally brought her to bed. She woke LM up early so then he was wanting to eat earlier so I ended up feeding him three more times than normal. We were both so exhausted from the drive still so we took a nap again that afternoon. I laid down on the couch with LM after feeding him and fell asleep very quickly.

**Monday LM winked at me!** It was the cutest thing. I know that he didn't fully control it but I relished in the moment anyways.

That night my SIL and I escaped to get pedicures before we were left with 6 kids for 10 days. Sadly the first place couldn't get us in right away and the boys (DH was nervous about LM needing to eat. . . I knew I should have packed my pump) so we didn't want to take too long. So we headed down the street and found another nail salon. They got us in immediately and I lucked out with a massaging chair and warm water. My SIL's first chair wouldn't massage so she switched chairs. That one massaged but the water was freezing so she opted out of the pedicure. I was so sad for her but she didn't mind and enjoyed the massage while chatting to me about zonology that she's now doing. It's so interesting and the more she was talking about it the more I want to go to school to learn how to do it. I've always loved foot massages since I was a baby and was fully interested once I learned you can help heal people through the feet too! AMAZING.

March 15, 2009

DD wouldn't fall asleep in the car until 11pm! Crazy child. Then she woke up around 2am and was just fussing in her seat. I pulled over at a rest stop. DH thought about letting her nap with us reclined in the front to help her get some sleep. She laid down with me in the drivers seat but found the steering wheel with her feet and then decided to play. At 3am my child sat on my lap (I'm still trying to sleep) and played with the steering wheel and pretending to honk the horn (I didn't even know she knew where the horn was...probably from Barney or "The Wheels on the Bus" song). Finally after awhile we told her if she wasn't going to sleep then we were going to put her back in her seat and drive. I feed LM and changed him (of course he has to have a blow out and I'm trying to deal with that on the front seat of the car with the cold night air blowing on him). DD finally fell asleep with my hand holding hers. I think I actually fell asleep before she did. We switched drivers again and I drove across the boarder and watched the sun come up (though the clouds were so thick there wasn't a beautiful sunrise to see). I had to pull over to feed LM again and we switched drivers again. DD woke up at the stop but went back to sleep. We stopped for breakfast a few hours later at Denny's. It was so nice to get out of the car. DD was so excited and did really well at the restaurant. She loves there new pancake poppers (rolled in sugar and cinnamon). Only about 30 minutes after leaving the restaurant LM woke up needing to eat so we had to stop again but it was nice for DD to get out and play on the grass with DH while I feed LM. We finally made it to San Jose at around 10:30am! The last hour was rough. DD was finished being in the car and so were the rest of us. It was great to get out and stay out. DH and I took turns napping throughout the day.

My sister came over to hangout with us that night and meet LM. She hadn't seen him yet. It was so fun to hang out and talk/visit with her. Her husband is out of town right now too so she didn't feel the need to hurry home. My SIL came down and visited with us too. It was fun to have them get to know each other. The funny thing was LM was having a really hard time (being very fussy) and he was so calm and quiet when my sister had him. I had to leave for a little while to help DD get to sleep and she handed LM back over to me when I came back and he started fussing. She said to hand him back to her and he calmed right down. It was funny but I was happy someone was able to help him calm down.