Friday & Saturday, 10/26 & 10/27

The kids in costume... more pictures after Halloween, no doubt!
A haunted house cake for the youth at church.
Carley... pretty in pink- from head to toe.

Hooray! Today I finished sewing snaps and pom poms on the kids' costumes. They are officially clowns. Ian has been giving me a real fight on wearing his costume, so I didn't know if I'd ever actually see him in it. Fortunately, when I had Billy try his costume on, Ian said he wanted to be Halloween too. So, for the afternoon the kids, clad in costume, visited dad at work and accompanied me to the library for a Parents As Teachers meeting. It was fun. The kids look supercute!

Lately, I have been bogged down in politics. I usually try to stay out of things that cause my brain to hurt, but our book club is talking about the book, A Mormon in the White House, and I am in charge of the night. Also, Election Day is right around the corner for local leaders too. So, I have been researching. BLAH!

Besides clowns and politics, I have been focusing on creating a house of order. Room by room I've been trying to straighten up and clean. The boys room shaped up very well tonight. All laundry is caught up and put away. I'd like to focus on the kitchen Monday. Tomorrow, of course, is supposed to be a day of rest. No politics, clowns or cleaning- yea!

Sunday to Thursday

Wow, I'm I slacking or what! I haven't written since Saturday. Well, Carley had her MRI today. She did so well, considering that she hadn't had anything to eat since dinner last night. Her MRI was at 11 a.m. and she didn't eat until 1 p.m. She came out of the anesthesia just fine. The nurses oohed and aahed over her all through the hospital. We'll be back for the surgery soon- exactly when we should find out tomorrow.
I have really been overdoing it this week and it has lead to total exhaustion. Getting Ian well with medicene and treatments, playgroups, storytimes, halloween cakes, laundry, shopping, etc., etc. have been just too much. So, I am committing to doing absolutely nothing productive for the next two days. Carl's parents have been here today to help with the boys during Carley's appointment. He stayed up playing cards. Carl's off tomorrow. And Friday I have no committments. Well, I'm tired and I need some rest. Goodnight.

Back from the hospital

Well, after a full day at the hospital, we are all home. Ian is feeling (and breathing) much better, though he's not 100% yet. We have to continue breathing treatments every 3-4 hours and he's on a steriod 2x a day. Carl had to work today, so I took Billy and Carley and spent the day with Ian at the hospital. We were there from 8:30 - 6:00. What a long day. I brought lots of movies, toys and activities. The kids did pretty good. They had their moments of course, but all in all I can't complain too loudly. But I must say, I'm done for the day- though Carley isn't. She's been having trouble getting to bed tonight. I just am out of patience and compassion tonight. Looks like I'm in for a long one.

Catching up...again

Ian is in the hospital this evening and I am planning catch up in all aspects tonight. My house needs cleaning, my blog updating and my laundry desperately needs catching up.
Last night we put Ian to bed, with just a runny nose, and he woke up a couple of hours later with a terrible cough. He was gasping for air and had labored breathing. We treated him with albuterol in the nebulizer and he seemed to be doing better, but not great. We kept it up through the night and morning. I called the doctor in the morning and he approved of the nebulizer treatments and told me to bring him in Saturday morning if he wasn't better or sooner if things changed. I thought he was turning it around and we went to a garage sale, the 25 cent kid sale I go to 2 or 3x a year. The kids watched a movie in the car, with dad's supervision while I shopped to my heart's content. Then, when we went home for lunch, Ian wouldn't eat. He wasn't even drinking well. And to top it off his breathing was getting worse. So, I called the doctor and we rushed in. The doctor saw Ian, gave him another albuterol treatment and then surprised us when he said Ian needed to be admitted. So, there he is, with dad, in the hospital. His breathing is still rotten, very labored. His heart rate is way up. So, this is where I drop off. I need to clean up. Pray for him.

Tuesday- the week's looking up

Today was about as good as it gets when you're talking ordinary days... Ian and I had our session at Storytime- and Carley had to come too (but she was very good and didn't make a peep until the very end). Then after we signed up for the next string of sessions for winter we checked out lots of new books. Ian even helped out choosing and checking out. After we had enjoyed our pleasant outing at the library we went home and put Skittles on the leash to join us at the park. We went to swing and play. It was a little damp, but not awful. But the wind was picking up. After just 25 minutes or so, I was ready to call it quits. The slides were too wet to ride and the dog kept pulling on the leash. So, we loaded up in the van and I turned on one of the DVDs from the library (Veggietales- Little Joe). That kept Ian entertained while we just drove around. It seemed silly to come all the way home when we would have to pick up Billy from preschool within 1/2 an hour. So, we drove around and watched the show. After we picked up Billy we headed home, had lunch and then Ms. Tammy came over. Ms. Tammy is a childhood educator from a group called Parents as Teachers. She helps me stay on track with teaching the kids at their own levels. Our visit was fun- the boys made bird puppets- with feathers. I'm a volunteer leader with the program and our first meeting is Saturday.
After Ms. Tammy left, the boys and I played a little in the toy room and then laid down in the living room to rest with a movie. Then Carley woke up and I made dinner. After we ate, the kids did an awesome job helping to clean up the house. They were very helpful. We took care of baths and jammies. Then we brushed teeth, read books, sang songs, read scriptures, prayed and even did Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear. They were all comfy in their beds by 8 p.m. Half an hour later than normal- but it was a great day for us. The kids were pretty good. Ian had a few timeouts for not listening today, but that's not bad. He went pee again in the potty after his bath- he does this every night now for several weeks. If only we could get him to do it throughout the day. He still is showing very little interest. I'm thinking about moving forward and just pushing him in... but I worry that the progress won't come easy that way. Well, we had a great day today. I even got the laundry and dishes done. I haven't ran the vacuum yet, but there's still time. Goodnight.

Sunday, Monday....

It appears I have been slacking in posting to my blog. It's been quite uneventful in the last two days. Sunday was Stake Conference- which simply means our church met collectively with other congregations in our region to hear a message from our local leadership.
Today I have been a little down. Some of my friends are having trouble and I feel like I can do little for them. Other than a small fall down the back steps, I'm doing fine. Carl just rattled off a hello and goodbye- he got home from a hard day and is going out to rent a funny movie. And now Carley's crying. Sorry for the short write. There really wasn't much to share anyway.

Friday & Saturday, 10/12 & 10/13

Our Friday was so crazy I forgot to post a new message to my blog.

We came home from Carl's parents place Friday morning and went straight to Kathy's Pumpkin Patch to meet friends. Jodi & Ben (and kids) and Brennan and Todd met us there and we did a hayrack ride, picked pumpkins from the patch, walked a bean maze, played in a corn pool and lots of other seasonal, fun things. It was a nice afternoon. Once we got home we unpacked from our trip to Carl's parents on Thursday and took a rest. Then we fed and bathed the kids and got ready for a temple trip. It was date night and it happened to be ward temple night, so we went to the temple together. We got caught on the bridge by a barge- and even though we were late, they still let us into the session. We were relieved! It was such a spiritual trip. I really felt enlightened and at peace. I learn something more everytime I attend the temple. On the way home we hit a barge on the bridge again-two in fact! We didn't pick up our kids until 10:30.

Today was a normal Saturday... laundry and cleaning. I also painted with the kids. We used Q-Tips and mixed colors. The idea of painting came after Billy asked for purple milk! I poured the milk and had Billy drop in red and blue food coloring and then we stirred it. Voila- purple milk. So, I showed the boys how to mix colors while Carley napped. It's been a pretty uneventful day. And for that, I'm so grateful. I really could have used a quiet day- and it gave me a chance to unwind. I only wish I would have got some reading done. But I spent lots of time with my little ones and the dog- who has been hanging out with us in the same room often and through the day.

Mom & Dad's Anniversary

Tuesday was Carl's parents' 36th wedding anniversary. They went to Dubuque and took a dinner cruise. Today we drove in to have dinner with them and take pictures in jeans and t-shirts. It's been a crazy and fun day. Here's a picture of our immediate and extended families from today. Tomorrow we're planning on date night

and visiting the pumpkin patch.

Mom's Doctor Visit & CARLEY CLAPS

First thing this morning I went into the doctor. My visit with her was short, but I hope productive. She ordered some blood tests and suggested an ultrasound of my gall bladder. She suspects gallstones. I'm supposed to call first thing tomorrow and get the blood results. She said it could be a number of things, so the blood work is the first step.

We signed the paperwork for our home equity loan today. Although, we're not sure the roofer will be able to get to our job before the winter hits. We're looking into finding another roofer. We want to get a good deal since we're paying cash. In January the heating/cooling guy is going to complete his job getting the laundry room and guest room on the central heating system. Unfortunately, he's helping his son build a house, so he's booked until the second week in January.

I got some pictures developed for my scrapbooking. I have got to get moving on that. I haven't done anything since I finished Carley's birth pages. My goal before the end of the year is getting Billy's preschool pages done and then Christmas last year. I love to scrapbook, but it takes a lot of time and isn't easy to do with little ones around.

On to the great news of the day... After Carley finished her dinner and began to get fussy I picked her up and set her on my lap while I was working on something else. She caught my eye when I realized how entranced she was. Her eyes couldn't leave her hands. She brought them together excitedly and then over and over again. She clapped and it thrilled her. The boys and I clapped for her. We were all so excited. Having 3 little ones, we all do a lot of clapping here. I'm glad she picked it up on her own, but sorry I can't say I tried to teach it to her. Carl has been playing pat-a-cake with her recently.

Tomorrow is Carl's day off. After Billy finishes up at school and we have some lunch, we are going to his parents to celebrate their anniversary with them. We've been asked to wear white shirts and jeans for photo opportunities. All my guys are wearing their dress shirts and Carley has a white onesie with a cute collar. I'm out of luck- I only have an old turtleneck and a maternity shirt- neither fit. Gotta go make the cake for tomorrow.

Sigh - 10/9

This morning when I woke up and let the dog out to go potty, I found that he pooped in his crate- which he has only done once since we brought him home. So, I cleaned his crate, toys, dishes and him- all at 6 in the morning. Then I got the kids to the van- early- to take Billy to school and the van had a flat (which had been looking low). So, I filled the tire with air- with the pump on the car and took Billy to school. It was lucky I had that pump. Then I rushed over to the dealership to get the car in. They said it would be just 20-30 minutes. Luckily, I refused to believe them and had them take me, Ian and Carley to the library- where we were just in time for story time. (Ian did not like the ride in the courtesy van). Carley was smiley and intrigued by all that was happening at story time. Ian, however, was only interested in doing puzzles. We did, however, win a drawing for a free Domino's pizza. :) My friend Jodi encouraged me not to wait at the library for the courtesy van, so we all joined her and her toddler in a trip to Target. While at Target she let me in on the reason for her need to break at the snack bar- she's pregnant (over 4 months). I had my ideas- but to hear it confirmed was such a surprise and a great blessing. She and I share so many similarities. It really helped to make my day happier. We picked up the van and then our preschool boys and we parted.
I took the kids to dad's work and we took him out to Burger King. The kids really enjoyed this move from the ordinary. And Carl was in for a long day, so I felt it was absolutely necessary to steal him away. When we got home I put Carley down for her nap and then laid down myself on the couch while the boys watched Veggietales. I felt very fatigued, feverish and achy. My neck has been hurting for 2 days and after every meal I feel sick to my stomach. The rest of my day was icky. I just haven't felt well at all. I made an appointment for 8:45 tomorrow to get checked out. I had to skip on the dinner at church tonight- couldn't go feeling like this. My fever has subsided and I haven't eaten much to be nauseous about. My neck still feels awful though. So, I'm going to turn in so I can get some rest. Goodnight.

Monday, Monday

Today was your average Monday, the kind everyone dreads the arrival of. I did laundry and scrubbed toilets and washed walls and pick up toys and many other chores. It was my day to play catch up and clean up. Nothing much else happened all day.
Well, I guess that's not entirely true. Carley tried to pull herself to standing on a bar stool and it fell over and she got a terrible bruise on the side of her forehead. I got the PlayDoh out with Billy and Ian during Carley's 2nd nap of the day. We played for quite awhile. I could tell the boys had a great time. Ian loved cutting his lump with a plastic knife and Billy was using cookie cutters and molds and potato-head like pieces.
All in all it was a good day. I got a lot accomplished. Tomorrow is storytime for Ian and I at the library. I also have a dinner at church to attend. Hopefully, there will be a nursery.

General Conference Sunday

Today I listened to the two remaining sessions of General Conference and once again all of the questions I wrote prior to the conference sessions were answered. They are personal, so I have journaled them at home. But I testify to the revelation I received and that I know the prophet and apostles are God's mouthpieces here on the Earth. They have answered my questions many times since I was a teenager. Even if my questions have seemed relatively unimportant or even silly I have always had an answer provided for me. My two favorite talks today were Eyring's and Beck's. Elder Eyring spoke about writing down our experiences where the Hand of God was seen in the lives of our immediate family so our children can have that written record. And Sister Beck spoke of righteous mothers and their important role. She also said that the best thing we can do, as mothers, is to cultivate a house of order to encourage spiritual growth. A house of order- oh how I wish I could say I live in one. I do try though, and it has gotten better this year. Also, a talk I enjoyed was Douglas Callister's. He said that the only witness of Christ that was important was our own. When we realize our testimony, our belief in Christ becomes more than belief, it is knowledge. And Dallin H. Oaks counseled that there are good things we can do in this life, but there is also the better and best. He spoke mainly about managing our time and efforts. General Conference is such a wonderful opportunity (2x/year) to assess where I am spiritually and make new goals.
My new goals for the next 6 months are to hold regular and meaningful family home evenings (FHE), where Carl and I teach the children Gospel truths. I also want to add personal scripture study to the family study we already conduct daily. And I want to focus on serving more. There are always opportunities for service and I often let them pass because I am too busy. I vow to give small acts of service more frequently to those in my family, church, neighborhood and community. So, here are my goals written on paper, because I know it is the only way I will take them seriously. 1. Hold FHE 2. Personal scripture study 3. Serve daily
As for the children, they enjoyed delivering tomatoes to the neighbors with me, they were grateful to get out of the house. We had 12- too many for our use and too few to bother canning. Ian's eyebrow looks disgusting, but it doesn't seem to be bothering him. Carley is cruising around the dining room chairs and coffee table better. And Billy just wants to go to school. Friday, Saturday and Sunday are a nuisance to him. He misses school on those days. Although last night when Ian was at the doctor, Billy missed Ian terribly. He drew him his heart on paper and wrote Ian's name at the top. He instructed me to give it to Ian when he came home. I love it when my children love each other.
No plans tomorrow. I hope to get some laundry done and work on making my house a house of order. At least the toyroom has stayed picked up and organized through the weekend. It's a start.

Friday & Saturday, 10/5 & 10/6

Wow, it seems like many more than 2 days since I've written. Tonight was scary. After dinner we were cleaning up toys while sleepy Carley screamed at the top of her lungs protesting for an early bedtime. Then, Ian started running towards me in the kitchen crying and looking frantic. I figured he was protesting cleaning up- again. But the blood quickly alerted me otherwise. I scooped him up and saw that it was a pretty deep cut in his eyebrow, so I set him on the kitchen island and made an ice bag, wrapped it in a towel and called Carl. I told him it looked pretty bad and that Ian needed to go to the hospital. In less than 5 minutes Carl was home to take him. In less than 10 since the incident, Ian was in the car and off to the E.R. The doctor did not think it was deep enough for stitches but used some kind of glue to close to wound. He said it would flake off within a week or two. He'll probably have a scar. So, that was my crazy evening.

The day started off slow. We went to 2 garage sales- one at Billy's school (a church) and another on the way home. I spent all my money. I got Carley two cute dresses and a me a tabletop ironing board for my sewing. The boys found lots of books. Just odds and ends outside of those.

We came home, had lunch, I put Carley down and I tuned in for conference. General Conference happens twice a year (Apr. and Oct.). It is when the general authorities (prophet, apostles and other leaders) address the members of the church with timely messages. There are four general sessions- 2 hours each. There were 2 today. I love that I can watch it from home now. My old computer or internet or something wasn't quite fast enough to watch it live. But the new computer is great for audio and visual. It is always uplifting to hear the words of conference. It seemed to be pointed a little more towards non-members and new members today. But, hey, it never hurts to hear basic counsel again. We'll have two more sessions tomorrow.

As for Friday it was a lot of fun. We decorated the front of the house and yard for Halloween. We hung skeletons on the porch and stuffed a large spider with leaves and ghosts for the bushes and pumpkins for the walk. The kids really had a good time. Then we spent the rest of the day cleaning. That night we babysat for some friends of ours for date night. It's our turn next Friday. I'm really excited about this arrangement. It means we'll get to have two dates every month without babysitting charges. We also had the missionaries over for dinner along with the 2 and 4 year olds of our friends'. It was crazy, but fun. The boys (all 4) really seemed to enjoy themselves- as they always do when they're together. Well, I'll report on the rest of general conference tomorrow. It airs at 11-1 and 3-5 tomorrow on lds.org. I use the tv station's link from that webpage.

Thursday 10-4- good buddies

Another trip to the grocery store- everything's going up in price. We have to shop at 3 stores just to get the best deals and be able to buy a month's worth of food at a time. We didn't do much else today. As a family we played Hungry Hungry Hippos. That was fun. We missed a homecoming parade just a few blocks from our house. That would have been nice to catch. The dog's been throwing up tonight. If he's still sick tomorrow it'll be another trip to the vet for us. I'm starting to become discouraged in being a dog owner. There's always something wrong. He always needs a bath or a brush. He still isn't really great at going outside to potty. And while he is trying to like us- he still isn't coming to us or being really friendly. Maybe I'm just feeling negative tonight and taking it out on him- since I keep having to clean up his puke. Can't say this is a day to hold onto.
Tomorrow Billy has a follow up asthma appointment (meaning full-price because he's well). We're also feeding the missionaries and watching our friends boys for date night. We'll get our chance next Friday. So, we'll probably spend the day cleaning up and running errands, as usual.
Sometimes I just wish we could do something fun and unexpected. I wish I could be so together in things like daily cleaning and cooking that I didn't feel guilty pulling out all of the stops and having a fun and messy activity that wasn't planned. It seems like when I do that, everything else falls apart- but the kids are happy. I just want to be great at it all- cleaning the house, keeping the kids engaged in fun activities and being a heartfelt and sincere wife. I usually feel like I'm doing well in one or two of those areas, but never all three at the same time.
Well, better luck tomorrow.

Wednesday yada yada yada

Not much going on today. We worked on the clown shirts for the boys. I'm almost done really. My friend Jane has taught me sooo much about sewing. I'm a little more fanatical about cutting things just so and sewing them exactly right, but her knowledge has really made the difference. Not much happened today. Pretty boring day actually. Just cleaning, brushing the dog, reading, sewing, sidewalk chalk, cooking, etc. Tomorrow Carl has off so I am hoping our day is really great! It's always more fun when he's around. Later.

Toddler Storytime & Book Club

These are older pictures of Billy with his friends at the park. Eden is the only girl. The boy in blue is Hayden, Gabe has a yellow shirt and the boy in red was a one-time visitor at playgroup. The pictures are just to give you a visual in to Billy's secret involving Eden.


Tuesdays are always a pleaser and this one was no different. This morning after dropping off Billy, we went to the library for Ian's toddler storytime session. It was about bears. My friend Meghan (Eden's mom) pushed Carley in her stroller while she cried during most of our 25 minute session. Ian did okay. He was reluctant to join in, but eventually did well. After he got his bear stamp on his hand and I relieved Meghan from Carley, we went to Walgreens and picked up some perscriptions we filled for our storage. Then with Ian's help we cleaned out the van. After picking up Billy and having lunch we made a paper chain to count down to Halloween. Billy's really excited about it. And I had them count the 30 links. Billy did pretty well. We lost Ian after 12.
We finished our day off and got in our jammies and the kids went with me to Book Club. Carl couldn't get the time off and I couldn't find a sitter. Billy and Ian went down to the toyroom in our friend's basement with Eden (Megan's daughter). I tried to lay Carley down in a pack n play, but she wasn't havin' it. So, she joined us for chocolate fondue and book discussion about Mark Twain's Puddin' Head Wilson. It was such a fun time. On the drive home I was asking the boys about their playtime and it was obvious they had a blast. Ian didn't leave the toyroom for the whole hour. Billy came up twice.
I asked Billy if he had fun with Eden. He said that he wanted her to play bad guys, but she didn't want to. They played kitchen and then pirates. Then he told me the cutest thing. He said mommy I put my hands on her face. And I said did you put your hands on her cheeks. He said yes. I asked if he put them there softly or if he squished them. He said he squished them (it's something we do with Carley and mommy does to all babies). I asked him if he liked Eden and he said yes, she's really nice. Then he said I like to kiss girls mommy, but just you. Then I asked if I could tell Grandma Darlene about him touching her cheeks and he said, no, that it was a secret and we couldn't tell anybody. He said we have to keep it in our hearts. We can only tell if someone kisses our hand. YIKES! Isn't that just too cute.
It was a fun day. Although, book club and storytime always make for a marvelous day for me. Tomorrow is Wednesday and nothing much happens on Wednesdays for us. I sometimes walk with a friend with the little ones in a stroller, but after the rain we've been having all day and night, it might be to soggy. We'll see. I might get close to finishing the costumes tomorrow night because my friend Jane's coming over. That might mean more pictures. 'Til then.

10/1

What a crappy day. I usually have a much better mood than this, but I can't fix it today. I have cleaned up dog messes and kid messes all day. And to be honest, the house doesn't even look very clean, even though I deep cleaned on Saturday. I've done laundry all day also, but still didn't manage to wash my daughter's crib set. I finished sewing Ian's bowtie, complete with elastic and snaps and he won't wear it. But on the lighter side, the kids are in bed and the dog is outside. So, at least me and my headache- which is already feeling better- get to be alone for awhile.
After I dropped Billy off at Preschool I went to the mall because JCPenny is having another sale. Unfortunately, they don't open until 9, so I went across the street to Target. I found a shirt for me, underwear for Billy and a pajama outfit for Carley, all clearance ($10.10 for everything). Ian and Carley were very well behaved in Target. Then, we went across the street again and while Penny's was open, I had a stinky boy and a tired girl by then, so I missed out on the sales there today.
Tomorrow the plan is to take Ian to Storytime at the Library and hope someone will be there to push Carley around in the stroller. I asked my friend Jane to be available for this weekly and the only two times we've had Storytime she hasn't been able to help. The first time I took her in and the second I asked another friend. I also don't have anyone to watch the kids tomorrow for Book Club. Carl was supposed to have the day off- he usually requests the first Tuesday of each month off (or at least the 2nd half of that day) so I can go to Book Club. My friend Jodi is leading it and she said to bring the kids. I hope I don't have to, what a nightmare. But I'd hate to skip it. Oh well, I need to make a few phone calls to see if I can make my tomorrow any easier than today has been. Then, I am taking a shower and getting to bed early.
I think that's part of my problem today. Lack of sleep always makes me a terrible mother. I found myself yelling at Billy today and getting mad at Ian when he accidently spilled his milk. I also was getting very annoyed at Carley's whining. Must be me, because they were pretty normal today. I usually just take a deep breath and take it in stride. They're only kids and they're doing the best they can. So, tomorrow will be a better day.