Pear faced

We tried mixing pears in with Fisher’s rice cereal.


He had the distinct impression I had just fed him a slice of lemon

Honda miracle & gone dental

Honda miracle: My 1993 Honda Accord fixed itself today. After 11 days of the key only going about 1/4 of the way into the ignition and the car beeping when I opened the driver door to tell me the keys were in it when I had already taken them out, its now working properly. I must have scared it.

Gone dental: Carly was up bright and early on her own at 6:00 am this morning and we asked her if she wanted to go with daddy in his truck. She was super excited to leave, not knowing she was being taken to the dentist. They put her out to cap 1 tooth with a huge cavity and to fill 3 smaller cavities. Of course the cavities weren’t all together to make it easier. There was one on each side on top and one on each side on bottom so she was sore everywhere when she was done. (She had been to the dentist 6 months earlier with ZERO cavities so I was pretty disheartened when she had 4. Dan called me on his way home with her and she was crying uncontrollably in the back seat and wanted her mom. We gave her some motrin and it took a while for her to settle down. Finally she slept and when she woke up, all she could give me was a crooked smile because her mouth was still numb. They must have taped her eyes shut when she was asleep because you can see red squares under her eyes where they peeled the tape off.

What 5 1/2 months looks like

My little Fisher, getting so big.


He’s just started sucking on his lips,


and makes these funny faces when he does.


He’s all smiles these days and loves his mama

She pays attention to her dad

Imagine my surprise when I walked in the bathroom and found this. Hunter actually has a play razor but she went for the real thing.

President Hinckley died today

We were at Nedra’s tonight and had dinner and played King’s Corner for a while. We then left and headed to my mom’s and when we arrived, they were watching breaking news regarding the Prophet. President Gordon B. Hinckley had died just a few hours earlier around 7:00 pm at the age of 97with his family by his side. He was the 15th president and had served since March 12, 1995. I will miss his wonderful sense of humor and his words of wisdom. I believe he was a wonderful prophet for our time. I’m sure he’s happy to be reunited with his sweet wife.

214,783...

...miles on my car. It’s falling apart inside, but still running strong. The change tray broke off yesterday, the carpet covering on the bottom of the door panels is coming off (Why would the glue on ALL the doors give up the ghost like that after sticking for 15 years?) Dan snagged his coat on the panel that covers the seatbelt on the driver side and ripped it off. Hunter’s window won’t roll down. The Stereo area is being held in place with two old gift cards I shoved underneath it. The cup holder won’t retract. The key won’t go all the way in. There’s a short in the brake wires so sometimes the brake light in the middle and right side come on and sometimes they don’t. (The left side always works) Anyhow, I’m shooting for 300,000… then I’ll cry when I have to take it to the junkyard.

Helper

Had a snow storm come through two nights ago. I heard the back door open and assumed Hunter was taking the recycle stuff out. When I didn’t hear him come back in I went to investigate and here is what he was doing

Ice Cream is a square meal

After not eating anything for 3 days straight, I was actually delighted to walk in the kitchen and see Carly eating her square meal because when she was sick, she wouldn’t even eat ice cream. She’s definitely feeling better and I’m looking forward to having my happy child back!

Eye drops for every color

Hunter: “Mom, I got something in my eye. I need eye drops”
Me: “Okay, I’ll help you find them”
(We head to the bathroom and I pick up two bottles of drops and examine them…)
Me: “There’s two types here. One is for Pink Eye”
Hunter: “I need the one for Blue Eye”
Gave me a good chuckle for the day.

It's not Alzheimer's, it's “Some-timers"

Going anywhere with the three munchkins in tow is like taking a single bite of liver. Not super appealing, but do-able. Taking them to the post office today was like eating the whole liver slathered in ketchup and peanut butter while holding your nose and trying not to gag. All I wanted was to know how much it would cost to mail two boxes. The regular line had at least 15 people in it. The automated machine line had two. I should have went for the 15… The first lady was done rather quickly. Two minutes tops. Then it was the “some-timers” couple’s turn. They had two packages. They slowly go through the series of questions on the first and are gleeful to find out, after spending a mere 5 minutes (aka 5 minutes of my “get back here”s “Stay still”s and “pick that box up, don’t stand on it!”s), that they only need to add one more 41 cent stamp. Okay, Good. On to #2. She sets it on the machine and the painful process starts again. She gets to the entering of the zip code and I hear her say to herself “I forgot it’s going to England!” She turns toward me and asks if I know how to do it. Unfortunately, I don’t. She then states that someone has shown her a month ago how to put that critical information in the machine. This is where her “sometimers” kicks in. Sometimes you remember stuff, sometimes you don’t. She tried again. And Again. Finally she gives up and gets in the live worker line which now has 1 person in it. (I hope the postal worker didn’t have sometimers too.) We move up to take our turn, I put the package on the scale, and Carly makes a dash for the exit door. There’s something magical and alluring about those doors to a 3 year old. It must make you feel like a big person, being able to control the door just like your mom does. And it’s really funny to have your mom holler at you to come back when you’re on a mission to be anywhere but the post office. I send Hunter after her and he drags her back by the coat and I dash through the questions at lightning speed. I get the outrageously high price and then gather them up and herd them out to the car, drive home and call mom, who proceeds to tell me that I could have figured out the price on the internet in the comfort of my own home. I new that. It was just my sometimers kicking in.

Thank goodness for Stephens

Carly has huge blisters all over her tongue, on the insides of her cheeks and on the back of her throat. Because of that, she won’t eat anything. Not even ice cream or popsicles. If she tries, she cries and spits it out. She’s been living exclusively on Stephen’s Hot Chocolate. I’ve been calling it “Mint Chocolate Nourishment”

Better stay away

Carly officially has hand, foot, mouth.


Her little hands are covered with tiny red spots.


So are her feet.


And her mouth is full of white blisters too.
Which makes three different viruses my kids have at the same time. Hunter’s Strep, Carly’s Hand-Foot-Mouth. And a virus which has affected Hunter and Fisher. Hunter has huge blisters all over his throat, has cried a lot and been terribly cranky. Fisher has had a 103.2 fever. I’d chalk it up to being hand-foot-mouth too, but Hunter and Fisher never got the red spots on their hands and feet.

Something wrong

Always something strange going on here. I call it the luck of me. Drove my car yesterday to my favorite store, Target. When we got home, I pulled the key out and when I opened the door, it beeped like the key was still in the ignition. So, I tried to put the key back in, so I could maybe clear the beeping sound and the KEY WOULD NOT GO IN! Don’t know what’s up with that and Dan can’t get the key to go in either. Worse yet, the stereo will turn on so now I’m afraid I’ll go out to a dead battery and a car that won’t start.

Strep & 102.4

Hunter had a sore throat 2 days ago and practically begged me to take him to the doctor. He had no fever and no other signs of being sick. We arrived at the doctors office at 9:30 pm. The results were a positive. He has strep.

Then yesterday, we were back at the doctor again. This time with 5 month old Fisher who had a fever of 102.4 poor little guy. He was still happy though and cracking up at Carly while we waited. The doc said he’s got a virus and that most likely, Hunter has it too. Poor Hunter, double whammy. He should already be starting to feel better from the antibiotics, but he’s not because of the virus (which has caused blisters to form in his throat). Last night at 9:00 pm, I gave Fisher some Tylenol and 45 minutes later, his temp was still at 103.2. We called the doctor and they said to keep him hydrated and watch for change in behavior because at this point, even with a high temp, he was laughing and playing and kicking his feet. He and Hunter both got blessings and at 1:00 am I went to give Fisher more Tylenol and he was all sweaty. His fever had finally broke. Dan got up 3 times with Hunter crying and sprayed Cloraseptic in his throat and today, I’ve given him Motrin and Cloraseptic as well. Hope he gets over this soon.

Pajama attack

Sometime between last night and this morning, this happened.


I'm pretty sure it was when her dad was watching her when his eyes were closed and he was snoring... lol.


He had her upstairs watching a show in our bed and I was on the computer. By the time I went to bed, she was already sleeping.


This morning she came to my bed and said "Mom, oh no! It's bwoken"


I asked her what happened and her reply was simple… “I cut it.”
Nice. Air conditioned pajamas… who knew?

Ice cold picnic

I picked up this Little Tykes picnic table for a mere $5. When Hunter saw it, he was more than excited and immediately said he and Carly should eat their lunch outside at it. “Crazy”, I told myself… “Why on earth would I let them eat lunch in the snow in 20 degree weather with freezing winds at the picnic table?” “It’s too cold...” I started to tell them. Then I remembered my mom’s story about Troy and the boat… and remembered that it didn’t really matter and I let them have at it. Check out how red Hunter's hands are, yet he's determined to finish his picnic.


Notice Carly’s hat? I told her to get her hat and gloves on to go outside and this was what she put on. Too cute.


"Pokemon Pizza"


I figured when they’d had enough of the cold, they’d find their way back inside. And they did.

What 5 months looks like

Eats rice cereal in the high chair * Rolls from back to front * Wears size 2 diapers * Smiles a lot * Tries to sit up * Gets tired of the swing and wants to hang out on the carpet * Grabs at toys on swing and bouncy seat * Puts everything in his mouth * Only wants mom when he’s upset *


Laughs out loud * Pulls Carly’s hair when she gets too close * Eats his feet * Sits in his bathing chair to take a bath * Eats every 3-4 hours, about 15 min each feeding * Has his last feeding around 9-10 pm then sleeps until 7am * Weighs 16 lbs *


Takes a binky very well and substitutes with sucking this thumb when he pulls the binky out * Spits and blows bubbles on purpose (This has been his new thing the last 2 days) * Has discovered his voice and loves to “talk” to you * Will calm down when Hunter tells him “It’s okay buddy”


I love that Carly always has to jump in the pictures. Definitely an attention seeking child.

Toe discovery

Fisher discovered his toes today...


and ate them.


Hunter watched him in amazement and had this to say: "Wow, he did a great job because I can't do that anymore."


Unfortunately, I sometimes still have the uncanny ability of inserting my foot in my mouth...

The Nikon Force

There's a magic force that comes out of my Nikon camera, kinda like the force in Star Wars, because it has great mind power over my kids. When I pull the camera out, they automatically stop fighting, eating, playing... (whatever it is they're doing), pose, and give a cheesy grin. May the force stay with us... (as long as I keep the battery charged in my camera!)

It ain’t easy having a little brother

It's pretty typical for carly to get in fisher's face and make him smile. She says "Uh-Boo!" in a silly voice and he cracks up and thinks she's the greatest thing since sliced bread.


But, one can't get too close to the little fist monster. Boy, does he have a grip with that tiny hand. Next time, she's liable to lose a whole ponytail.

Picture Day *fisher 5 mo today*

Took the kids for pictures today. There’s this dream you have, you’ll take the kids, they’ll act politely, smile on cue & the photographer will actually be on schedule. Then of course, reality hits. For once, you’re 30 minutes early & they’re running at least 15 minutes late. Oy. You’ve been telling the kids all morning if they’re good during pictures, you’ll buy them a big pretzel after you’re done. With 45 minutes to kill, that’s out the window. We have to buy the pretzels now & I have one thing on my mind. WHAT ABOUT THE CHEESE?!? I know, I know, I could just not buy the cheese for them to dip & double dip & triple dip their soft pretzels in, but we’re talking pictures here. Pictures they actually have to try to be happy in. Pictures they technically shouldn’t have a melt down in the middle of, but with my luck probably would. Desperate to keep them happy and camera ready, I buy the cheese & risk the cheese blobs that will inevitably appear on my daughters shirt. We grab a bench & it dons on my little brain to put her coat on it instantly becomes a cheese magnet and saves her shirt from unwanted spillage. We head back to the studio and finally they’re ready for us. Carly is totally revved up. She’s grabbing every little wicker chair she can find. Every little girl needs at least 10 million wicker chairs when she’s getting her picture taken, right?? Oh boy. I tell the photographer “We gotta make this quick or we’ll lose Carly’s interest” We start & I’m super surprised at how well Carly is cooperating in her single picture & how patient Hunter is being. Could the Pre-pretzel reward be taking effect? Or was it the magic cheese? (Note to self: buy cheese & pour over kids cereal every morning.) I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised to get a great shot of all three looking the same direction and smiling because the “cheesy pretzel goodness” was quickly wearing off. And it was then that Carly became one with her silliness and picture time was officially over for her. Fisher was happy as a clam, have I mentioned how much I love the little guy— such a good baby. I was glad I had already decided which sizes of pictures I needed of whom before we left the house because my brain left the building when Carly hauled off & smacked a little boy for playing with a toy that wasn’t his and Hunter kept sighing loudly in complete and utter boredom. It took a while, but was worth the wait. I walked away with some absolutely incredible pictures of my kids.

What 3 looks like

Carly's 3rd birthday. aka Christmas Day. (Yeah, I'm a few weeks late) She really understood the difference between birthday/christmas this time. Being sung to was one of the highlight of her day (ranking up there with sliding down the sledding track at grandpa lewis's). She could hardly wait to blow out the candles.


Afterward, she was beaming from ear to ear. She's still trying to figure out how to hold up 3 fingers instead of 2. She uses her other hand to hold down her thumb and pinky and let's you know "I'm free!"

Picture freak

I am a self proclaimed picture freak. I always have my camera at family functions, parties & horse shows. There is this deep love inside of me to keep a history of myself & family. I don’t live in the past, but I love to visit it through my pictures & words. I’m not always good at scrapping it, in fact, I always feel behind because of the monstrous amount of pictures filed away in my hall closet & on my computer. I am always striving to take beautiful pictures & know that I have a long way to go, but it’s a fun journey. I’ve decided it doesn’t matter what I look like in our pictures, it just matters that I am there. When I am old & gray, my kids & grandkids won’t care what shape I was, the clothes I wore, or the style of my hair, they’ll just be happy to see my history with me in it.

I wuv you mom

It's 10:45 last night and I am finally trying to have some down time before I crawl into bed. Carly's been in and out of her room all evening "Mom, I need a dwink. Mom, I need to go potty. Mom, I sick in my woom... etc etc etc" You know how it is, whatever she can do to get out of going to sleep. So she comes in "Mom guess what" (I sigh) and she goes on "Mom guess what, mom guess what, mom guess what!?!" By this time, I'm am ready to pull my hair out, swoop her up and stomp off to her room to put her to bed. Finally, I answer "What Carly!?!" Her answer "I wuv you mom". Be still my heart. That'll put a grumpy mommy in her place. I swooped her up and gave her the biggest hug I could and told her "I love you too." And then, of course, being a pushover from all the mushiness, I let her get her pillow and blanket from her bed and lay on the floor. Boy, am I getting soft. She was asleep in 2 minutes flat and I transferred her to her bed.

Fisher’s first... rice cereal

Fisher's first rice cereal...


I couldn't figure out why he kept making a horrible face...


And spitting it out...
until I fed some to Carly (who eats EVERYTHING) and she made a horrible face too and spit it out while making gagging noises...


Then I tried it... boy I don't recommend the cereal with added DHA and ARA. It tasted like rotten fish oil, gag! Hunter and Dan tried it too and agreed it was not good. So, I mixed up some regular rice cereal and we tried that and the response to the taste was a little better. Although, I'd say he spit more out than he actually ate.