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.