Success!

I know the true test of a child going to nursery is not the first week, but the second. The first week you are able to leave them with all of the buckets of toys and treats and they are none the wiser. BUT...when it comes time to go to class again the next week...well...they now know exactly what is going to go down. Brynlie's teachers said that there was a slight quiver of her bottom lip last week when she realized I had left her, but that was the extent of her emotions. When I went to pick her up they had the bubble machine running and she couldn't have been less interested in seeing me. I was forced to pick up another crying little girl, just to make her jealous (it worked), so that she would come with me. This week I was a little more concerned. Especially when I saw her look at me as I was closing the door. But once again, her little lip quiver and she was over it. Next obstacle? Her attitude. Her teachers have assured me that she hasn't hit or spit at anyone, but I'm sure it is only a matter of time...

There's Writing on the Wall

There's writing on the wall, and it says...
Love these children,

Embrace the messes,
Enjoy the clutter,

And treasure the dishes.

For tomorrow they will be teenagers...

Bed Time

More proof of my fabulous parenting skills...

Vegas Abbreviated

We had lots of fun on our annual Vegas trip last weekend. Friday was spent shopping, eating, and go-carting in St. George. (We made some 16 year old kids night when he got to enjoy his power trip and sternly tell us adults that we weren't driving properly.) Saturday we spent the day on the strip and took in a show at Excalibur for dinner. The idea behind the dinner is that we eat like they did back in the days of old...no utensils, menus, condiments etc. Apparently they didn't have any beverages back then besides Pepsi, diet Pepsi, and alcohol. The meal was okay, as was the show, but nothing I would ever suggest to anyone unless the price was reduced by A LOT. Sunday was spent sleeping in really late, convincing ourselves that we did have to go back home to the cold weather, and finally seeing our kids after a much needed a break. I swear they get cuter when you are away from them for a few days. Kylie came to the door to greet us, Sadie couldn't be bothered because she was on the Internet, and Brynlie was excited to see us until that meant Chuck was leaving. She cried when he left. I'm glad to see that my children do as well away from us as we do from them.

Groundhog Day

Brynlie was originally diagnosed with Pneumonia back in the middle of February. And she STILL has it. She has ran a high fever off and on ever since, but it got really bad a couple of weeks ago when it stayed around 103 for a couple of days. I called the doctor, but that afternoon discovered that she had two teeth coming in so we figured that that was the problem. We left Kristi and Chuck armed with Tylenol and spent the weekend in Vegas. When we got home she was still running a fever off and on, and it got up to almost 104 on Tuesday evening (right after Jared left for Vernal. It always happens when he leaves for Vernal. She got stitches while he was on his way to Vernal too.) so I took her to the insta-care. They took chest x-rays, which confirmed the pneumonia was still there, and that it was the viral kind, which really doesn't mean much to me. They also drew blood, gave her medicine twice since she spit it the first time, and gave her a shot of steroids. She HATES doctors, and I'm pretty sure she will need therapy for all the times she's been held down and poked and prodded.

This is Brynlie giving her best "This Popsicle does not mean you are forgiven" look at the insta-care.

Anyway, there were a couple of numbers on her blood work that were a little on the high and low side so the doctor told me to come back the next night for a follow up. When I came back the new doctor that saw us said she wasn't too concerned about the blood results, but was more concerned about her wheezing that is coming back. So she is back on her inhaler every 4-6 hours. Which involves me wrapping a blanket around her so she can't use her arms and legs to stop me. Again...therapy. I've been using her old inhaler, but Saturday afternoon Kylie brought me the new one so I figured I'd just use it. Soon after, I put her down for a nap, which I guess she wasn't ready for because after an hour of listening to her in there playing I told Kylie to go get her out. Kylie came running out panicked about how Brynlie had taken her diaper off and there was a huge mess. Is it bad that I was relieved that it was a bloody nose and not what I first thought it was? She had never cried like she hit her nose on anything, and it kept bleeding for a couple more hours, so I think it may have been the new inhaler. I am trying to get brave enough to try it again and see if it causes another bloody nose. If so, bad news for us since the pharmacist explained that they pulled the other kind off the market and were strictly using the new, non-generic kind. I don't know what we are going to do to get this little one of ours healthy. She just always seems to be sick lately!

Pay it Forward

Since Amanda is going to make me something very, very special I must now pay it forward...

So, here's how it works: the first 3 people to leave a comment on this post will receive, at some point during the year, a handmade gift from me. What is will be and when it will arrive is a total surprise! The catch is that you must participate as well. Before you leave your comment, write up a pay it forward post on your blog to keep the fun going (or copy and paste like I did). Then come back, let me know you're going to play, and sit back and anticipate the arrival of your gift! Come and play!

King Size

This is not what we had in mind when we bought a king size bed.See the spot on the left? That is where I slept.

Sick of sick

I am so sick of sick kids!! My kids seem to have struggled more this year than in years past, with Brynlie taking the brunt of it. Kylie missed Valentines Dinner because she was sick, Sadie missed her birthday party, and Brynlie hasn't really felt good for several weeks. She was in the doctor's office a few weeks ago with Pneumonia and can't seem to get back to normal. I am ready for warm weather and healthy kids! While Brynlie doesn't agree that she needs to use her inhaler, she has no problem making her baby suffer.

As Requested...

I have updated the recipe blog with Meagan's Chicken Enchilada Dip and the Chex Mix from the baby shower, and also the crock pot mashed potatoes and the ham glaze from our Valentine's dinner.

In a nutshell

Sadie told her dad that she wanted go to Vernal with him. Since my parents were coming out three days later I call to see if it would be okay to have her come for a visit. She's lucky that we didn't give Grandma and Grandpa time to come up with an excuse to say no. A few short hours later she was on her way. I went to the store once while she was gone. I can't believe that I ever complained about two kids! It was so much easier than all three. Sadie had so much fun and even brought home her "masterpiece" that she worked very hard on with Grandma.

Brynlie walked by that box several times and never looked at it twice. Then I made the mistake of giving her a fruit roll up out of it. I guess that was too much information.

Don't make fun of the bed head until you are willing to post your own bedhead pictures.

I won two free tickets to the U of U gymnastics meet. When I went online to see how much it would cost to buy an extra ticket for Sadie I discovered that it was "Short People Appreciation Night" and everyone 5' 1" and under got in free. So I asked my friend Amanda of she would like to come and bring her girls. Sadie decided at the last minute to take Jamey up on the offer to stay with her and her kids and Brynlie instead of coming to the meet. It worked out really well because Amanda and I could fit all of our kids in one car and drive together. Which was great since we were gone for 3 1/2 hours and only about a half an hour of that was at the meet. The rest of the time was spent driving there, getting lost, asking for directions, finding a parking space, walking a LONG ways with each of us carrying a little boy, making a bathroom run with all of the kids, walking a LONG way back to the car, fighting traffic to leave the U, and driving home. Oh, and there was a Taco Bell run in there too. The highlight of the night for the girls was screaming for the "Eagle" Mascot and shaking his hand. I'm pretty sure that everyone around us knew that we weren't regulars since it wasn't an eagle. The highlight of my night was being out of the house and having a grown up conversation. Oh, and listening to Kylie and Rhon giggle for hours in the backseat. The worst part of the night was realizing that neither of us brought our cameras. I thought mine was in my purse. I found it the next morning behind the couch. Something tells me that I didn't put it there.

I threw a baby shower for my sister in law Meagan on Saturday. I guess the secret to getting everyone to show up is to plan it last minute and give everyone very short notice. There were 32 people invited. 31 showed up. I think it also helped to promise lots of food and no cheesy games. We did play one game, but it was completely voluntary. Half of those that came were from out of town and I had two brother in laws that rearranged their schedules so that they could travel and be there. One even missed a (gasp!) championship basketball game for his stake. Russ never could turn down a baby shower...

After a long, long day Saturday I should have gone to bed early. Especially since it was Daylight Savings. After cleaning my house and getting the kids ready for bed I decided to finally plan my lesson that I had been putting off all week. And then there were the blogs calling my name. I don't think I would have gone online, but SOMEONE was prego at my party and didn't say anything. I found out after she left that she had blogged about it the day before. So, OF COURSE I had to log on. Then there was the book Amanda lent me... I finally called it a night around 1:00, which in daylight savings time meant 2:00. I turned my alarm off TWICE Sunday morning. Jared called at 7:30 and I realized I had turned it off so I decided we'd be skipping Sacrament Meeting. Jared called again at 8:30 and I realized that I had done it again. Whoops!

It is 11:00 and my kids are still going strong. They've been "in bed" for an hour and a half. They've both been grounded from their bikes and friends tomorrow, and in about two minutes will be losing their nightlight privilege. I love the later, lighter nights, but hate the transition with the kids inner clocks.

So Sad.

Here is the conversation I had last night in my head as I got up to go to bed...

"Oh man, I ate way too much today. I'm not going to be able to go to church tomorrow. I won't be able to squeeze into my skirt. I wasn't...Oh, yummy! There are two cookies left!"

It's my party and I'll cry if I want to...no really.

I hope that quantity will make up for quality this year when it comes to Sadie's birthday. Daddy wasn't in town on Sadie's actual birthday and I didn't feel good so we just had a really low key evening with the girls. We had cupcakes, sang Happy Birthday, and gave Sadie a pair of jammies and her new bike. It was embarrassing how many gifts she got last year at our family party so I didn't want a repeat of that.

What birthday wouldn't be complete without a jealous little sister...The next day Daddy showed up with a gift from Grandma and Grandpa Merrell. Friday night Vince and Meagan surprised her with a visit and another gift. And then on Saturday we had a very small friend party. But where is Sadie? Not at the table with her guests...Nope, she's not playing Minnie Mouse Memory.She didn't make a Minnie Mouse Pizza either...There she is..fast asleep. She decided 15 minutes before her party started that she didn't feel good. So she slept, and they played.I woke her up at the end so that she could open her presents and say thanks to her guests for coming. But first...Tylenol.Poor Sweet Sadie. Happy Birthday my four year old!