Relief...someday?

We have had a hard week. More sick children. Haley went in for a well check on Wednesday, and turns out she has an ear infection. Of course, they're not draining. Good thing we went through the hassle to get tubes. Yesterday, Haley and Kristin came down with fevers, coughing fits, and asthma problems. Haley has been clingy enough, but it was 10 times worse the past few days. Last night we went to dinner to celebrate Troy's promotion to a M-F job that will start in the next few months. Kristin was coughing so bad, she was begging to go home for a breathing treatment. We rushed home and that was the start of a horrible night. She couldn't sleep, and was just coughing non-stop. Her asthma medicine wasn't doing anything, and the on-call doc advised me to take her up to Primary Children's hospital. So, I was contemplating what to do. At this point it was 1 am. neither of us had slept, she was having a hard time breathing, but I knew if I took her to the ER, we would sit and wait for 3 hours, with no treatment, so, I decided to wait out the night. I gave her a nebulizer treatment, and slept in her bed with her. I thought if she got worse, I would just call 911, and then we wouldn't have to wait in the waiting room. (That's just to let you know how bad of shape she was in, that I would sleep with the phone in case I needed to call 911). Haley was coughing all night, but she only woke up, whimpered, and fell back to sleep. She was doing 100 times better than Kristin.

Kristin struggled through the night, but first thing this morning, I knew she was going to have to be seen. I got all the kids ready, so I could drop Kyle off to school, and headed towards the doctors office. On the way to school Haley started coughing up blood. I pulled over and tried to clean her up. I was kind of freaking out, because I knew she needed to be seen, but didn't know if I could handle both girls freaking out at the docs office. My parents are out of town, and Troy's parents were at the temple this morning. Luckily, one of my friends pulled right in front of me. I tracked her down, and asked if she would please take Jake, so I could at least just have the girls to worry about. Of course, she did (THANKS! THANKS!) and Cherice got me the number for the pager to our doctors office. I called and they told me to come straight in.

Haley's pulse ox was 92%. Not horrible, but not good. They gave her a nebulizer treatment. Told me her throat was just raw from coughing, which is what caused the blood.
Kristin was definitely raspy, and is now on a liquid steroid, a neb, and she also had an ear infection - so on augmentin. My girls are the grouchiest things you've seen, with a mom to match. They both want to be held, which just makes life difficult. I did take the car to get cleaned, cause I know that would make my day a bit brighter. For the record...it's so worth $25 for your car to be vacuumed, and cleaned! EVERY NOOK AND CRANNY!

I just need a break! Sometimes I think mom's should get a mandatory 10 minute break or 30 minute lunch. Just to re-group...sigh...

In the doctors office, I asked if Haley's immune system was non-existent. He said, with 3 siblings at home, she has the health of a day care kid. WOW! So, basically if you have more than 2 kids, you don't have a benefit of good health in your kids for being a stay at home mom. nice. So, it's now 6:25. I'm not cooking dinner. I'm just trying to survive the last half an hour until Troy gets home. Well, I'm being paged, Kristin just woke up from her nap - screaming and coughing, I'm sure there's throw up somewhere. Looks like my 'break' is over.

I know other parents may have it as bad if not worse than I do with illnesses. This is basically my journal, which is why I am documenting this...no sympathy needed...I know someone who is pregnant right now, who thinks that life couldn't possibly get worse. I am living proof that it does. You deal with it and move on, until the next major thing happens-and it will. Over all, I'm blessed. I'm grateful for my family and what I do have. I'm grateful I can afford the $90 I've paid in co-pays just in the past 2 weeks, not to mention prescriptions. As hard as life seems at times, you can always find something to be happy and grateful about. I think of the quote: Lose yourself. (I'm sure there is more to this, but that's all that's coming to me right now) Forget about how crappy my life is, and focus on helping others, and I believe in doing that, I will realize just how good I have it!

I think it's funny that Haley looks chubby in this picture. It's just how the clothes look and hang. At 15 months, she's 19 lbs 3 oz.

Dogs, Dogs, Dogs, Dog Poop

You know how I've always complained about my neighbors and their dogs? One neighbor, has 3 dogs (big dogs) that she lets roam like they're kids. She gets home from work, sets her dogs loose in the front yard...and watches them poop all over our circle! Mainly in my yard...even my backyard! (that's the first thing on the list of things to get...a fence) I hate it. The other people in my circle have 2 pit bulls/boxers and another dog. They are totally neglected, they bark and try to get through the fence when the kids play...they've even tried digging under the fence, which we have had to barricade with rocks. Well, today someone called the city in regards to the dogs. They came to the circle to warn the "roaming dogs" owner and next time they will get a fee, and then they are also doing a "well check" on the pit bulls, to make sure they aren't being abused, which could make them angrier dogs. I truly believe that if they ever get out, a child, or adult for that matter, will die, or be seriously injured from those dogs. I'm so excited! I hope they all get fines! I'm so sick of the dogs in my neighborhood! I have put up with it now for 15 months. NO MORE! I'm glad somebody had the guts to nip it in the butt! It's kind of embarrassing to live in this circle. It is infamous for the dumb dog people. I am just so excited not to have poop in my yard anymore! I'll be honest, I've never scooped it, Troy has. But, I have threatened to start flinging it across the circle to the owners home. Hopefully it won't come to that. I guess I would then be a poo flinger. Nice. Well, just had to share my JOYOUS news with everyone! Oh, did I mention that I was the one who called the city? Hee...hee...

Tonsilectomy

Well, Kyle is getting his tonsils removed on March 18th. The doctor (who is the same guy who put tubes in Haley's ears - Dr. Muntz. really like him) didn't even look in his throat. There was a hysterical moment (for Troy and me) at the appointment. The nurse was telling us that if he were to start bleeding heavily, it would be the 3-7th day after surgery. She said we would know if it were bad, because he would be bleeding out of his nose, mouth, and probably vomitting blood. As she said this, I watched Kyle. His eyes got HUGE! Troy thought he was going to pass out. I had to assure him, that it was very low odds that would happen to him. But, I can guarantee, if he sees even a drop of blood, at any time, we will ALL know about it - probably even the neighbors! They are putting him to sleep, before even giving him an IV. In his case, that's great! It's a 2 week recovery. Hopefully we all survive this!

Walking

Haley took about 4 steps today! I know, some of you may be thinking, what's the big deal? I have been so worried about her weight problems affecting her developmental growth. The doctor told me as long as she is walking byb 15 months (which is this Wednesday) all is well. We have been working with her, but the girl is a chicken! She will stand up in the middle of the floor, all by herself, but would not take a step. During sharing time today, I was trying to keep her occupied and happy (naptime, of course) I tried to get her to walk to me. I about screamed out loud when she did. I got Troy's attention, and a few other people's attentions, as well, and she continued to do it. She did it again tonight. I'm so relieved! And happy! We are going to Disneyland in 2 weeks from tomorrow, and I want her to be able to walk! She may not be running, but hopefully it will only progress from here on out!

In the morning, we take Kyle to see the ENT to determine if he needs his tonsils removed. Troy is coming with me, because I'm betting it's going to take both of us to hold the kid down just to let the doctor look in his throat. You can tell how excited we will be to get to deal with him if he really gets his tonsils removed...ughhh...I can't even think about that now...I'll keep you posted! Oh, and I promised a photo of his Valentine's box...here it is, in all it's glory. Oh, the kicker is, when he got home on Valentine's Day, I asked him where his box was? He told me he threw it away. I'm SO glad I resorted to the 5 second box, instead of the 1 hour box!

911...What's your emergency?

Yep. Jake called 911 the other day. (Under Troy's supervision) I was upstairs getting ready, and the phone rang. I picked it up, and heard, 911, what's your emergency. Oh, my heart sunk. As I made my way downstairs, I told the operator that my son must have done it, and I apologized. She proceeded to get tons of information from me. When I got to the bottom of the stairs, Troy looked at me, and realized what Jake had done. He started getting after Jake for calling 911 at the most inopportune time. The operator heard Troy in the background and asked if I was SURE I didn't need help. As I was trying to get Troy to shut up, I assured her all was well. Thank heavens they didn't send anyone out! I had a talk with Jake afterwords telling him that people who really did have an emergency had to wait on hold, and that I was proud of him that if he needed to, he could get help, but he couldn't just call them whenever he wanted. Jake is pretty tender hearted and felt very bad! I hope that's the last time they're called!

Positive Thinking...

This weekend, we just hung around the house and relaxed. I record Oprah's everyday, and I had the chance to watch about 6 episodes this weekend. If it's one I'm not interested in, I delete it, and move on with the next. I watched one about "The Secret" and positive thinking. I haven't read the book, but I am a believer that if you are positive and have good thoughts, good things will happen to you. Anyways, I decided my last few posts were anything but positive, so I thought I'd turn a new leaf. It is a beautiful day here today. The sun is out, I got my walk/run done first thing this morning, it's suppossed to be about 40 degrees today. For Utah in February, that makes for a great day. In going for the 'positive thinking' approach, I'm going to copy Erin, and make a list of a few things that made my past week a bit sweeter.

1. Cleaning People came and cleaned my house. Top to bottom. Coming in from the crazy blizzard, the thing that saved my sanity, was that my house was SPOTLESS!

2. I have 2 weddings scheduled this summer for my photography. I love taking pictures of kids, but it's so fun capturing the sweet love a brand new couple has. It causes me to look back and remember that time in my life, and realize that dating my husband now is one of the greatest things I can do for my family, we went on a date to celebrate!

3. Heidi brought over a slice of delicious cake, that I had 4 total bites of! (laying off the sugar) It was heavenly! Heidi, for my next birthday, that's what I want.

4. We got a Wii. My parents wanted to get us one for Christmas, but couldn't find it in stores until last week. My parents also bought one for themselves. They got dance dance revolution for them, and I must say, I LOVE IT! That's my next big purchase. It's $70. I will just play with theirs, until we get one. I have never done it before, and so I was definitely the beginner stage, but it was awesome! My favorite: Karma Chameleon. Flash back...

5. Even though Haley was sick, she wanted me snuggling with her constantly. I loved having an excuse to just lay in my bed, with her on my chest, so sweet!

6. Kyle went back on track last week. That is always nice. He gets so antsy the last week he is off track. Jake and Kristin are now off track. It's nice to be able to hang out and relax in the morning. I have to say, I enjoy taking my time lounging around in the house all morning long!

7. LeeAnn came and watched my sick kids so I could go help at Kyle's Valentine Party. It seems I always have to cancel when I'm suppossed to help out with parties (tubes, GI doc appt). I will say, the party was a bit overdone, in my opinion, for second graders, but the look on Kyle's face, when he saw me walk into his room, was priceless and made it worth it for the big hassle it was to get everyone else taken care of so that I could get there. Have I mentioned I NEVER want to be a room mother?

Recovery...

Well, I have had a few people call wondering about Haley, so I thought I better update this! She is doing well! She finally ate tonight at about 7 pm. That is the first time she's eaten in at least 4 days. I don't even want to think about what she weighs now... I got some motrin down her last night...had to hold her down kicking, screaming and gagging, but it got her to calm down enough to sleep and take a few ounces of fluid. Which kept her out of the hospital. She woke up in the middle of the night, and I gagged her with more motrin and got a few more ounces of fluid in her. She woke up this morning happy, and in no more pain (that I can tell). Other than her refusing to eat all day, she has done remarkably well. Tonight, our nice NP called to check on her. I really like him, he's great! He said he would call with culture results on Monday. Hopefully, they come back okay, so that she doesn't have to get more testing done. So, we're just trying to enjoy the weekend.

As I have been reading everyone's blog about Valentine's Day, I have to admit, I'm a bit sad. It was all I could do to survive the day, no cute decor, notes, gifts. Troy hates Valentine's Day, and any other holiday that retailers try to make him feel guilty. I did manage to make the kids heart pancakes, but I didn't have food coloring, so I tried to slip in a few red hots, but I didn't want to add enough to make it pink and completely alter the taste. So, they were just normal heart pancakes with a hint of red hot. Troy got home, and I told him I wasn't making dinner and I wasn't going anywhere. He ran and got us Subway. Heidi brought by a piece of her delicious cake she made, and we each took a few bites, and went to bed, and crashed around 9:30. We were too tired to even stay up for the news. I really am glad others had such a great holiday! I had high hopes and ambitions, but then life happens....what are you gonna do? There's always next year, right?

Could it get worse? You betcha!

Okay, so Haley now has a kidney infection. She keeps vomiting, and if she doesn't stop by this evening, she will have to be admitted into the hospital. She did get an antibiotic shot, to try to jump start the healing process...in the meantime, Kristin has strep throat...again. She just finished her medicine for her last strep on Saturday. So, everyone hope and pray Haley can keep some water down! The only good thing right now, is that it's not snowing...

Update on my rotten evening...

It did indeed, take Troy 3 hours to get home. He arrived home at 11. On the news last night, they showed the road in front of his work. With the snow and the wind - 70 mph winds - it was insanity. Last night at 10:30, during the news, there were still 250 kids trapped at schools by where Troy works (Alpine area). Some kids were on buses for 5 hours, and the buses still couldn't get them home, so they took them back to school. Most of them were planning on staying the night at the schools. Seriously, insane.

As for Kyle's Valentine box...covering a box, was so dumb. I headed to the garage and found a blue gift box from childrens place. I put it together, cut the whole in the top where it used to say "Children's Place" got a big chipboard heart, stuck it on the top, and wrote: I heart BYU. Then I gave Kyle a ton of red hearts to decorate. So, he has a blue box...but that's what he wanted...I'll post a picture of it later...

Happy Valentine's Day!

Rotten Evening...

I had such a rotten evening. At about 3:15, I looked out the window, at blizzard like conditions. I was picking the boys up from school, and I hurried out, so that they wouldn't have to wait in the blizzard. I picked them up, and we headed down to sign Kristin up for preschool next year(why sign-ups are in February, I'll never know). All of this done in blizzard conditions. You couldn't see more than 1 car length in front of you, and it was crazy. Got Kris signed up, and headed to Becca's to get the boys hair cut. Jake was having a "special day" with Troy's mom, so LeeAnn brought Jake to the appointment. We were running a bit late, and I had to get Haley to the doctor, so LeeAnn stayed with the boys to get their hair cut, and I took off with the girls to the doctor. Remember, STILL a blizzard outside. I took Haley to the doctor, because she has had a fever for a week. I took her in last week, and was told it was a virus, by the dumb night-time docs. They're probably not all dumb, but she sure was. So, Haley was acting really wierd today, a few shuddering convulsions (my definition of, anyways), and I decided, enough was enough, and got her in the last appointment of the day to see her doctor. So, we got there, he did a strep test (just cause Kyle and Kristin had it last week), and then decided to do a urine test. That involved a catheter, and it sucked. Well, she has a urinary tract infection. Apparently it's rare for kids under the age of 2 to get it, so they are testing it to make sure she is not having kidney problems. (SERIOUSLY...POOR GIRL!) So, he gives me a perscription. Oh, it just happens to be the perscription that Kyle was allergic to, and that I just threw away YESTERDAY! So, I got to go pay for it again...pharmacies are money pits. Troy's mom met me at the doctors office, and dropped Kyle off, and took Jake to continue with their "special day". I'm glad it was someones special day...While I was at the doctor, Troy called, and said he couldn't leave work. Literally. There were jack knifed semi's at the point of the mountain north bound. great. He said the road in front of his work was a parking lot. At about 8, he called and said he was headed home. He said it didn't matter when he left, it was still going to take him forever. He estimates it taking him 3 hours. It's usually a 25 minute commute. So, kids are asleep in bed, Haley got her first dose of medicine (thank heavens for drive-thru pharmacies!) and I am now anxiously awaiting Troy's arrival. Oh, and to top it off, I have to decorate a valentine's box for Kyle. He doesn't want it pink or red, so I'm really making a white box. Our plans were to have him make it, but with our evening, and getting home at 8 tonight, that is not happening...I pray for a better day tomorrow...

Fixed it...

Well, once I changed the template of my blog, I didn't have the problem anymore. Thanks Piano Mom! Stupid pyzam...Beware to all of you who have fancy new blog templates...back to the boring for me!

What's WRONG?

I have no idea what's wrong with my blog. I post something, and when I view my blog, it's blank. If I click on the archives, it will show what I just posted...any ideas? I posted the previous 3 posts, all in one post, and I thought maybe if I split the pictures up, it would work(which may be why you guys are confused...you may have to read back a few posts). Well, it's still not, and it's driving me crazy! HELP!

Kristin

And, that leaves me with Kristin. Hmmm....she's all girl, that's for sure! She's the most stubborn of any of our kids, which makes it really difficult. It seems we give in more with her, but at times, we don't have another alternative. She will literally scream for hours! She's learning, and we are slowly learning the best ways to deal with her. She wants friends over all the time. It doesn't matter who...Kinlee, Madi, (cousins), anyone who will let her boss them around. For a middle child, she sure is bossy. Maybe that too, is a girl thing. I decided to send her to a new preschool in the fall. It is a Fine Arts preschool. I went to sign her up for ballet, and found out they were starting a new preschool program. It's more hours a week, and is actually cheaper than signing her up for a dance class and paying for a seperate preschool. The only downfall is it is a bit of a drive. Well, about 10 minutes each way. We have enjoyed the 3 minute drive this past year. She will have a ballet class once a week, as well as some music classes, and traditional preschool classes. I really think she's going to love it!

Jake and Kyle

Jake and Kyle are constantly wrestling. They would only calm down enough to let me take one picture. Wrestling is the boy thing around here. Most of the time, it makes me crazy. I've learned to send them down to the playroom, and letting them know that I don't want to know about anybody or anything that happens to get hurt. I don't know what Jake would do without Kyle. When I was in Vegas, Jake would call and just want to talk to Kyle. He has a hard time sleeping when Kyle's gone. I think Kyle's a pretty good big brother (don't get me wrong, he has his moments) and treats Jake pretty well. Kyle went back to school today after being off track for 3 weeks. He is getting so much better at the school thing. His handwriting is improving, and he's not fighting us to do his homework. Now, I just am waiting for him to turn into a reader. Wanting to read anything and everything, like I did when I was little. I am beginning to think in this day and age, that's becoming a lost art. We keep trying! He's definitely improving, and that's all I can ask for. My boys in this photo are in desperate need of haircuts. Becca can't get them in for a few weeks, so I may have to "old school" it and cut it myself...aughh...

Whoops

I forgot to post my favorite picture from the other day...kiss kiss...

Snapshots

I put pictures of everyone else's kids on my blog, I thought it was time to put my own kids on. Before church on Sunday, I was taking some pictures. Just random...not in the studio...the girls were on my bed, the boys wrestling before church. I was being dumb and using my flash on my camera. Helpful photography tip: real light is always the best. Not direct sunlight, but real light, open the blinds, go near a window, it makes a world of difference. You will see real colors, instead of flash induced over exposed colors...

Anyways, here are my kids...Haley is learning to point to her nose, and yes, she thinks it's quite fascinating when she gets in in the holes. Haley still isn't walking yet. She taunts us, and will stand up for a few minutes at a time by herself, in the middle of the floor, and then sit down, and then she gets herself to standing and will do it over and over. If we try to get close enough to see if she'll walk to us, she immediately sits down. Since she is my fourth, I am definitely not worried about the age she is when she walks. Kristin didn't until about 15 months, so in our family, it looks like it's a girl thing. But Kristin was potty trained by age 2...keeping my fingers crossed that is also a girl thing...I'll take that over walking early...Haley is the sweestest thing. She's a snuggler, and a screamer. We always know when a toy was taken away...nobody gets away with anything around here! Well, except for Haley.

Lately, I have felt like a crappy mom. My temper is short (may be due to the fact that Kyle was off-track for 3 weeks) and I feel grouchy constantly. I think it may be due to lack of chocolate and ice cream. I am really trying to do better. I don't want my kids to remember a grouchy mom. I hope they realize how much I do love them. I bought some heart shaped pancake molds, that I can't wait to try on Valentine's Day. Not for breakfast, of course, that would take me waking up early, but it will be ideal for dinner! My mom is out of town this week, but brought them a present last night. It is a sugar cookie decorating kit that we will have to do. I am helping in Kyle's class at his Valentine's party. That should be interesting...it always is...Well, Happy Valentine's Day to you all out there...my advice? Forget going out...get take-out, stay in, avoid the crowds, and just have a quiet fun evening...I know that's what we're doing...except for the take-out...we're dining on pink pancakes!

The 'B' Family

I took pictures of a family on Friday. Beth had asked if she could give her sister a photo shoot for Christmas. Beth lives in VA, and her sis lives in Draper. I have been waiting for her sister to call, and she did a few weeks ago. I was amazed at how much she sounded like Beth did over the phone. Anyways, her family was so sweet, her kids SO well behaved, I really was impressed. Her poor hubby, had recently broken his leg in 2 spots, and was on crutches, with his foot swollen and discolored. Before the accident Sandy had been telling me how she was dying for some really cute 'foot' shots. So, we did what we could, and had the kids be VERY careful around dad's foot. Here are some of MY favorites...Thanks 'B' family! Good luck with your upcoming move!

Can't beat a box

I got in 5 huge boxes today, filled with product, courtesy of Making Memories. All the boxes were the same size, and I thought it might keep the kids occupied for awhile. Daxton and Kinlee came over, and the kids played in these boxes for about an hour. It was great! They made a train, played hide and seek, it was a fantastic break for me. Kyle's been off-track for 3 weeks now, and with the cold weather and snowstorm after snowstorm, life has been a bit hair-raising. (understatement) Anyways, by the end of the hour, they had crushed down all the boxes. Which, is great for me, I didn't have to do it, and now I can just put them in the recycle bin! Here's to boxes!

Baby 'J'

I took these pictures last week. Little 'J' is so cute, with the most gorgeous baby blues. But she didn't want to smile for anything! I only got a very few of her smiling. I hope I was able to catch her little personality in these...I bought a pink tutu (mine's a bit brighter and darker pink) to use in future shoots, in case anyone wants to use it...

Off-Duty Weekend

I'm in Vegas. I came to Erin's for our semi-annual scrapbook weekends. We're both so busy with our businesses, that we never get time to scrapbook. This time, I brought Kyle with me, since he's off-track to play with Mason. Troy stayed home with my other kids, and Erin's family is watching her other kids in St. George. So, besides Kyle and Mason, it's a kid free weeked. Usually one of us has a baby we have to tend to during these weekends. I left early Saturday morning, and am returning home on Wednesday. Kyle stayed with Travis and the kids in St. George last night, so Erin and I have had 24 hours of NO KIDS! We started to get organized to start scrapbooking...but a few times, we both agreed it would be just as nice to sit on the couch and basque in the quietness. We were up until midnight PST last night, and I slept in today until 10:30!!!!!!!!!! I really didn't know I could sleep that long! We have been scrapbooking most of the day. I have gotten about 5 layouts done. I know, I know, to you all, that is a tiny amount to get done in such a long period, but that is almost unbelievable for me! Every page of mine, I strive to make a work of art. I'm not a scrapbooker to just get things done and in the album, I enjoy the process as well as the completed project. I will post some pics of some of my pages after I get home.

Some people think I'm wierd for doing these weekends, but I have to tell you, you mom's should ALL do it! You don't have to scrapbook, just a night away in a hotel room with a few old friends, anything really...A few reasons why:
1. You remember that you have a name, instead of just mom. While it's nice to hear people call you mom, sometimes you just forget that you're a real person, who has hobbies.
2. We eat out 1 meal a day. It's so great to eat good food, and not have to cook, or clean up. Even if it's only for a few days.
3. I always return home wanting to do and be a better mom and wife. Wanting to be a bit more patient, want to do more activities with my kids, anxious to go on a date with my husband, everything. I am gone just long enough to miss my family and it really and truly makes me want to do so much better.
4. It's the only time I really get to scrapbook, which is the whole reason both of my businesses ever got started. It was my love of preserving photos and family events and outings for my posterity to pry from my cold dead hands when I die. (I am not letting my kids take 'their' albums when they're married.) They can visit their memories at my house, until I die...I know...once again...I'm mean...

I am so grateful for Troy that he encourages me to do these weekends. I hope he realizes how much better of a wife and mother I am upon my return. Kristin got strep throat the night before I left, and Kyle got it earlier in the week, I had 4 photo shoots that week as well, and I have been looking forward for this weekend for so long...It is my "day off" or my one time when I'm off duty. As a mom, it's very rare to be off-duty...don't you all agree?

I am only sorry I missed the snow storm...yeah right...well, I would have liked to take pictures of it...I also didn't bring my laptop. GASP! I had 3 photo shoots to edit, and I knew I wouldn't scrapbook if I brought it. While I'm having a few withdrawals, it will be okay. For those of you waiting for your photos...thanks for being patient!