5 Little Monkeys

Jumpin' on the bed.


This was by far one of the best trick-or-treating experience I've had with my kids. The Tolmans joined us, which made it so much more fun. Erin and her mom were nice enough to man the door for us so we could all head out with the kids. The weather was pleasant, so a lot of people were able to sit on their front porches and hand out candy. Our neighborhood is so close together and so incredibly safe that I had no qualms sending them to each and every house. And the joy on Ryan's face with each and every stop he made- truly priceless. He was in trick-or-treat heaven. He would run up to each house, say the words, then run back with a huge grin and show me his spoils. Occasionally he'd even give a little monkey call to accentuate his costume. Oh, the pure and utter joy was just awesome. We went just around our one block and down another street and their bags were full. A great evening with great friends. I have just our pre-Halloween pics so far. Once we get ones with momma and the doctor (myself and Steve) I'll post them.

Where do you keep your band-aids?

A few weeks ago we had Erin's kids for an overnight so she and Tom could go out on a nice date (he had been gone for about 2 1/2 weeks). We had a really fun time with the kids and when Mary got home I guess she was telling her mom just how great our house is. We have a trampoline, two big TVs and a playroom. And the supreme item in my home: I have a band-aid place in my bedroom! Yes folks, you can be jealous because if I need a band-aid in the middle of the night, I don't have to leave the comfort of my room- just go to the little closet in there and pick out a band-aid. Oh, she cracks me up! Seriously, I love the things that get kids excited.

A Date

So Steve surprised me last weekend with a full day date! We were up and ready to go by 8am Saturday morning when our babysitter arrived. (She had them until 5, then our neighbor, Matt took over until we got home) The plan was to head 2 hours to Six Flags in New Jersey, have about 6 hours of fun, stop for dinner and be home by bedtime. That's how it would work in a perfect world, anyway. Apparently the day before there was a multi tractor-trailer fire on the road we traveled. We were in the fray of completely stopped traffic for 1 1/2 hours. It was lame! So by the time we got through, ate lunch and made it into the park it was after 12.

But, even though the lines were longer, we were still able to ride a bunch of fun roller-coasters and really just enjoyed each others' company for the day. And to make it even better, it was sunny with a slight breeze and around 75 degrees. We haven't done anything together that fun since we were first married. I know it's bad, but I kept thinking... "man, I'm glad the kids aren't here. This would not have been fun with them!"

In my own defense, here's why:
1. So, so many people there. I would have been nervously counting to 5 all day.
2. Oh, the language and smoking and immodesty. Don't need my kids to see that.
3. Also the young kids and their boyfriend/girlfriends. I am afraid for when my girls start thinking about boys!
4. And the roller-coasters. I wouldn't have been able to ride all those fun rides!

In the end, an awesome date. We were home in time to get the kids to bed and the thing they said when we got home: "Can you two go on another date tomorrow?" I think the babysitters did an great job! In the end, an extremely successful day with my sweet hubby!

in heaven

Katie and I got into a little discussion about Heaven and what it will be like there. We talked about how our family will be able to find each other after we die and other things like that. She was afraid that since I'll probably die first, she won't be able to find me. But after explaining the sealing power, she decided that Jesus will probably help her find me. And all was well. Then she started talking about what we would eat. And I told her that in heaven we probably won't need to eat. Our bodies will be perfect and won't need food to stay that way. She thought about it for a second and said, "I think there will be fish and honeycomb in heaven. But I won't eat the fish. I'll only eat the honeycomb." (can you guess what song we sang in Primary today?) I love having these conversations with my kids. It's very enlightening to find out what they are actually grasping and what I need to do better at explaining!


On a side note... after church I was walking out and saw an older couple that we had known when we were first married and lived in Texas. I called to him and went to say hello. I told him that I knew I recognized him, but couldn't place him for a minute until I saw him with his daughter. And he came back with the same sort of thing. "I thought I recognized you too, but I wasn't sure. Last time I saw you, you were... " (placing palms towards each other closely... try it. hint: this was not a compliment- that was about 30 pounds ago)

Yeah...

his wife interjected with the fact that was "BC... before children".

And on that note, I think I need to go eat a bowl of ice cream. Maybe a really big one with chocolate sauce on top?

Where'd you get that?

Ryan was just in the kitchen and I noticed he was eating a fruit snack. I know we're out of fruit snacks, so I was thinking that maybe one of his sisters had some hidden somewhere. So I asked him. And he just looked up at me and said, matter-of-fact (with a slight drawl),

"Ah mah boot."

Of course- where else would you get a fruit snack from?

Sarah add-on

The kids get "marks" for doing good things around the house. For example: if they do something nice for a sibling without being asked. Or for cleaning a room that is not part of their assignment. Or even doing their chores without being big ol' grumps. They get 25 cents for each mark they earn. So if they do a lot of good stuff, they can earn quite a bit of money. We hadn't paid them since we moved from Illinois, so Ellie made $20 this time! We've never had that before.

Anyway... with that money they pay tithing, fast offering if they'd like (help the poor people), and then the rest is theirs to spend as they would like. We usually try to find a store with quarter slot candy machines because it's very rewarding. This time we took them to the commissary and let them pick out candy from the pick-a-mix. Oh, what a joyous occasion for them! Even Ryan had money that he earned and could spend.

Our rules: gum has to be chewed outside. I am tired of finding gum in very difficult places. And we keep their candy up high so that there isn't snitching from each other. Well, I had confiscated the candy Saturday afternoon because of some fighting that was happening (sugar high had ended?) I went outside to do something and when I came in, I heard the kids upstairs talking about their candy and I heard candy wrappers opening up. I warned them, "you know that no candy is allowed upstairs and if I catch you- you will be in trouble!" And in true Sarah fashion, "quick, hide the candy before Mom comes up."

I guess I did say if I caught them...

Sarah funnies

Erin and I were out running errands this morning. I had bribed them with their own bag of candy from Target and they were well on their way to a sugar high and soon a sugar crash. We were almost home when that crash began. Sarah and Ryan were fighting in the back seat and Ryan unbuckled his naughty self. I told him that he had better get his buckle back on. I warned him that if he unbuckled I would take his candy away.

Sarah's response: "Quick Ryan, eat your candy as fast as you can!"

hmmm... not quite the reaction I was looking for. Needless to say, the candy was consumed and the buckle was not rebuckled.

Sometimes it's tough

There are all sorts of thoughts that have been rambling through my brain lately and I think I may just go ahead and put them down. This will be self-indulgent, so if you're not interested, don't read on.



Weight. Okay- so yes, I've had 5 kids. And four of those were c-section. But the last one was 15 months ago. And I can't lose that weight. In order to feel like myself again, I need to lose at least 20 pounds. In Illinois I was working out twice a day and still not losing weight. I haven't been as devoted here, so I've gained a few more pounds. I've tried limiting calories, but those stinkin' migraines keep coming because of my lame hypoglycemia. So then I have to eat more to try to keep them at bay. So I'm having a horrible body image at the moment. And while I'm not pregnant (shocker, I know) I feel like everyone is looking at my belly and always wondering if that bump is a baby or just chub (as most people know we want another baby eventually...)

Migraines. I don't know what the deal is, but I've had at least 2 a week since we moved here. I've tried acupuncture, heat, light massage, diet, all sorts of things. And nothing works. I'm so tired of those stinkin' headaches that just knock me out for the night (the only cure is lots of sleep, unfortunately).

Tension. Holy moly the tension in my neck is ridiculous. I'm constantly in pain. Constantly. Again, I tried acupuncture, heat and massage. Nothing is working. Even the ibuprofen barely touches it. I've even tried different pillows and stretching to no avail.

Friends. Okay, so here's my pity party. I felt that I had made some really great friends in Illinois. People I LOVED to hang out with. That was the first place I have lived where I actually went out of my way to have people over and throw parties and just hang out. And they were all such awesome people who actually cared about me and my life and my kids. And it felt really good. And I have an awesome friend here, too. Erin is just the best ever. And while I'm overly thankful for her (she even cooked us dinner tonight!) I miss the group of friends I had. I think I was just really blessed to find people with my similar interests and kids the same age. There have been many tears shed over the loss of those gals and their kiddos. I have made friends on our street. And they are really great. There is just not enough in common to want to really spend tons of time with them.

Enough. I have felt rather inadequate here. My house isn't clean enough. (yes, I'm comparing myself to those with only two or three kids) My house isn't cute enough (yes, I have no interior decorating skills whatsoever) My kids aren't enriched enough (take 5 kids by myself where?) I'm not thin enough, I'm not happy enough, I don't have enough energy (I have been more exhausted than I have been in years), I'm not doing a million things that I really wish I could do. It's frustrating.

Reality. Okay, so my husband, who is always completely honest, thinks I'm attractive. That should be enough, right? My kids are happy, well-adjusted kids. My house is a bit messy at times, but never really dirty. I do have one awesome friend here. My kids have made good friends in the neighborhood. I am comfortable in my home.

So how do you give yourself an attitude adjustment? Prayer and fasting. That's a good start. And I suppose just working at it day by day. Because the Lord never gives us more than we can handle. Some days I wonder, but most days I know it's true. I want to be a super-mom and I don't like falling short. Those crazy expectations of mine!!!

So now you've seen a glimpse into the mind of Tiffany. It's not always sunshine and rainbows around here. I'm pretty good at faking it, but I'm tired. I'm so tired.

What have I done?

The other day I was getting Ryan dressed. I asked what shirt he wanted to wear. He requested his ball shirt (has a basketball on it). I obliged and put it on him. Then he changed his mind and wanted his fish shirt. Sure, we'll change your shirt. And of course his blue shorts (jean shorts are a must these days). Well, then I got Tommy dressed in the flag shirt that Dick and Sybil gave them. Ryan noticed and here is the conversation that ensued:

Ryan: baby wear a fag shuet?
me: yep, tommy is wearing his flag shirt today
Ryan: me a wah a fag shuet
me: but you're already dressed in the shirt you wanted to wear
Ryan (quite indignant): No! Me a wah a fag shuet! Me a match a baby!

Ryan then commenced to put on his flag shirt and then picked out matching socks for him and Tommy. Then all was well in the world... for a little bit.

what have I done?

po-tay-toe, po-tah-toe

So Sarah's first day of dance was yesterday and they practiced talking into a microphone, put on tutus, made up scripts, learned the parts of a stage (upstage, downstage, etc.) and learned a quick little dance. She loved it.

As we were driving home she told me that a girl there liked tattoos and that's not good. I explained to her that just because Sarah knows they aren't good for our bodies, doesn't mean that other people feel the same way. I realized that I needed to do some explaining when Sarah told me that, "people who have tattoos don't love Jesus." fabulous. But then the real truth came out. She said that she didn't like having to wear tattoos. Now I was truly confused until I realized... she was wearing a tutu... and thought it was a tattoo. Sounds pretty much the same, especially coming from her mouth!

So we had a quick chat about loving Jesus and wearing tattoos and tutus (yes, tutus are most definitely acceptable attire for dance class and you can still love Jesus and have tattoos) and all was made well.

The funny thing about Sarah... if she does or says something wrong, she just smiles, sighs and says, "I was just kidding!" That is her "out" and it makes me laugh every time. So I suppose it is successful :)

School starts

So far the transition to the school year has been very smooth. Ellie started last Thursday and has a friend from the neighborhood that sits next to her on the bus and at school. She seems to be enjoying her class and teacher too which is good.

Surprisingly, Katie also took to school like a fish to water. I thought for sure that she would be scared when it came time to get on the bus and go. But when the bus came, she just marched right on without hesitation! I took some pictures as we did with Ellie. After school, I intended to go and meet them at the bus stop (just a couple houses over) but I slept through it! When Katie arrived, I told her I was sorry that I wasn't there and she just confidently responded "It's ok Mom, I like to walk home". Such a grown up now! I then tried to question her about the day and she said it was "fun" and I couldn't get much more out of her. When Steve got home I mentioned this to him, so he questioned her as well and she said her favorite part was "playing" and "games" and that she liked lunch. So there you have it, we now have two of our kids officially in "school". I think it is going to take me a little while to get used to the schedule though.

We have decided to put the girls in some other activities too. They are all in a dance class which, of course, they all really enjoy. Additionally, we enrolled katie in gymnastics because she has always shown a great degree of coordination and strength since she was a baby and we think she'll enjoy that (plus there is a friend from the neighborhood that is going to do it with her). Lastly, we decided to put Sarah in a play/dance/drama class. She LOVES it! It is right up her "Drama" alley!

Steve continues to love teaching and is finding his "groove" there. He is also doing some ultimate Frisbee with some of his peers. It is fun for him to compete again in sports. He is biking around here quite a bit and even tried to ride down to work and back. Downhill was all brakes due to the steep hills and then coming back up to where we live here was all uphill and about killed him (especially because he though he would take a "shortcut" into the woods that turned out to be an non-groomed trail that ended up at a very steep hill and fence that he had to climb and traverse).

I've decided that I need to get back on the exercise wagon myself, so I have ventured a couple of runs around the neighborhood over the last couple of weeks. I normally do not run and haven't in the past because it usually hurts my knees, but surprisingly, I've been able to run most of the way around the mile+ loop without needing to stop due to knee pain. I attribute this to all the walking/jogging that I did this past winter on the treadmill back in Illinois. This is all very exciting for me to finally be able to run and feel like I'm getting some good calorie burning.

New York Summer

So we did end up moving in on the 13th. It was a little touch and go, but in the end, the keys were delivered at the same time the movers drove up to the door of our new home. The house is really nice. It is technically a duplex but no living space is adjoining, rather the units are connected by the garages which is very nice. It took about 3-4 weeks to get all moved in and we are still trying to find "permanent" resting places for some of our stuff, but overall we are quite settled now.

It it a GREAT neighborhood. There are tons of children all of the kids' ages and it is fun to see them all interact. It seems as though most of the kids gravitate over to our house as the hub of all of the activities. Our kids seem to really enjoy all of the attention and they are not at all shy about going around and knocking on the neighbors' doors to ask if their kids can play. Even Katie who is more prone to shyness knocks on the doors now.

All of the kids have scooters now and we even have one for Ryan and Tommy as soon as they grow into them. They are currently still used as loaners for the other kids that come by. The street in front of our house is used as a thoroughfare for a seemingly continuous run of walkers, runners, strollers and kids on bikes, scooters, go carts...etc (especially at night). What is missing are the cars! It is great to live on a non-through street so that the only car traffic we see are those who live on the road.

We also bought a trampoline for the kids. I'm surprised it has taken us this long to get one. It is a great investment! Between it, a little pool, bikes/scooters, and the kids' social scene, the little ones have basically lived outside this summer. A small miracle compared to the extreme bug phobia that the girls concocted last summer that prevented them from going outside at all! They have also enjoyed playing in the mud after storms, collecting rocks, feeding mosquito larva to the neighbor's fish, exploring, camping, swim lessons, swimming in lakes, tubing in rivers, and daring each other to do new tricks on the trampoline, and bikes. It is fun to watch. Speaking of new bike tricks....bikes here are very popular. Kids are riding them all over the place. Ellie jumped in and soon after Katie decided to drop the training wheels to be like Ellie and then the neighbor's picked up on the trend and then just the past week, Sarah even started to ride around without training wheels! All in all, I think there are about 6 little kids that learned to ride without training wheels in the month and a half. Lots of positive peer pressure.

We have been blessed with lots of friends here. In addition to the Tolmans who live about 10 minutes away, all of our neighbors are really great. Another one of Steve's good LDS friends/roomates from West Point (Matt Radik) is back here and it just so happens that he moved into the duplex next door! Another friend Steve knew back in his cadet days moved in right across the street. Lots of blessings in all from Heavenly Father in helping us get settled here. Our adjacent neighbors are very fun and their kids are always with ours. Another bonus was that my mom just spent 10 days out here with us. It was a treat for all of us to have her here. Also, this past weekend, we made a trip down to Philadelphia to see Steve's sister Diane. We braved tubing down the Delaware river with all of the kids. It was a ton of fun! All if the kids enjoyed it. The girls jumped in and floated around with their life vests and then would climb back onto the tubes when the "rapids" came. Tommy spent the whole time trying to jump out of the tube and splashed the water to his heart's content. A very fun outing! Plus, for a taste of history, we drove by where Washington crossed the Delaware.

Steve and I have been on a few dates since we arrived, but unfortunately we haven't found a permanent babysitting replacement yet for Charissa and Cole Johnson. We drove down into NY city a couple of times to attend the Manhattan temple for a couple of the dates and enjoyed it very much! It is amazing how the temple can keep out all of the noise of even NY city! Parking is the challenge there and the cheapest we have found so far is $35, so that is a little crazy. Steve and I both have been teaching in our West Point branch at church. The branch is a little unique in that we meet in one of the Academic building's auditoriums for sacrament and then in classrooms for Sunday School etc.

Since we arrived, we've had some of the cadets over for dinner a few times and that has always been a great experience. The kids love having visitors to come and play and it is nice for us to have them over. Steve had great sponsors (families in the branch) that took care of him while he was here and is enjoying doing the same for the current cadets.

Steve has been busy with projects at home including building a work bench in the garage and a really nice island for the kitchen. He has also loved his teaching position at work. He did some workshops over the summer that he enjoyed and has now just started teaching this week. He is really enjoying being back here at West Point and all it entails.

Life has been extra hectic, but full. I have been super tired ever since we moved here and had quite a few regular headaches. I decided to go and see a Doctor about it who happens to also do acupuncture. He proposed doing some on me and so far I have done a couple of sessions, but the jury is still out on whether it will work for me. As for projects, I've taken on the backyard hill. Our yard is new sod around the house, but on the hill behind our house, they just put down seed. I've pulled the weeds, watered it, and fertilized it. So far is it making good headway overall. The only probalem really is that we had a storm right after they placed all of the see and all of the runnoff from the hill came rushing down the hill right behind our house making a "grand canyon" and mud "delta". It also carried down a lot of the seed in a 8 foot swath or so, thinning that section significantly. We are hoping the ground's crew will patch the chasm; otherwise, I might have to take matters into my own hands. I will have a nice back yard! :)

Katie and Ellie are both going to school this year, so Sarah will be the lone girl at home. I'm not quite ready to let Katie go to school, especially since Kindergarten is all day here; but, time doesn't wait. She is both very excited and quite scared at the same time. Luckily, I think we are the last bus stop before it heads to the school in the morning which is ideal.

So in all, we are very blessed and very happy to be here in New York and enjoying life as the changes come our way!

horsie

I think Steve is running out of back space...

New York

New York, New York. Here we are. We spent our first week staying here with the Tolmans and they have been absolutely awesome. We still spend most of our days here, which is a lifesaver. The first night in the hotel with the 7 of us was a nightmare. I was ready to quit right there and then. But the last couple nights have been much better. Hopefully it won't be too much longer.

And that leads me to the housing draw. Oh, the stressful event that is called the housing draw. So to give a little info about West Point... This is the location of the United States Military Academy. The university that Steve graduated from. Also the university that Steve will be teaching mechanical engineering. There is a lot of housing on West Point. Unfortunately, not always enough for those that would like to live there. And not always enough houses that fit the sizes of families. So on June 1st there was a housing draw. There were certain criteria that decided where on the list we would be found (the order of choosing a house). These are the items taken into consideration: First and foremost- room requirements (we had a 6-bedroom req.), then rank (Major) and date of rank (nov '10). On the list we were #19. There were six 4-bedroom houses up in the brand new neighborhood that we really wanted. Then there were about ten in the 3-bedroom new houses. We assumed we would end up with the 3-bedroom houses. A little bummed, but we still preferred that to some of the other 4- or 5-bedroom homes (older and smaller). Or there was the option to wait it out and get one of the new 4-bedroom homes in October. Oh, the butterflies in my stomach as we waited for them to explain the rules and finally get to the draw. Details aside, we got a 4-bedroom home in the brand new neighborhood! Yippee! And some of the greatest things about this- it backs a brand new park, is on a flat road (it is extremely mountainous here) and we should be able to move in on my birthday, June 13th! I am extremely anxious to get on with this next stage of life. It has been 2 1/2 weeks in-transit so far and I am ready to have my things and my own space. Without the Tolmans I would be going absolutely batty in that hotel room!

I miss my parents, I miss my friends, and I miss my house in Illinois. But I love the mountains and I love the trees and I know I will love more about New York as well.

Ignoring the Elephant

I wrote this over a week ago... wanted to get pictures, but that will come once we get our computer!

So, up until today I think I've done a pretty good job ignoring the elephant that has been hanging out in the room. If I just pretend I'm not going anywhere, then I won't get sad or cry or start binge eating. Well, the elephant presented itself today and all the above has started to happen. It's been a crazy weekend, too.

Friday was Ellie's birthday and she insisted I go with her to the zoo, which was a lot of fun. Then an hour after we got home 6 girls came over for a birthday party. It was quite the party. Painting of nails, decorating of cupcakes, decorating of picture frames, eating pizza, dressing up with feather boas and taking fun pictures, singing birthday songs, eating cupcakes, and opening presents. Then of course a few minutes to play with said presents, because who doesn't want to check out the gift they give a friend? Overall it was a lot of fun and I think the girls had a great time. I had made some adorable (if I do say so myself) reversible bags for the girls that had the boas, sunglasses and lip gloss cell-phones inside. Ellie headed home with Mom for an overnight at Grandma's. That evening we had a friend stay and play games until I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer.

Saturday Steve threw a last party for all the scouts he has had since we've been here. It was supposed to be from 10-3, but the last boy didn't leave until almost 5. They played video games, ate pizza and played target practice with paintball guns. Perfect for a batch of 12-year olds.

Mom and Sybil/Dick arrived with Ellie at 4:45 and we soon after headed out to eat. Our kids are actually really good at restaurants, but the food took awhile and after having lemonade spilled on me twice I was ready to be done! After we ate we came home for more presents and cake/ice cream treats. Ellie was in heaven yet again. Her new doll, Liz, was a big hit and she has been carrying her around everywhere today. We're excited to take her to New York so she and her friend Emma can play dolls together. Steve and the kids all crashed at 8 and I stayed up until after midnight doing laundry (washing and folding 7 loads-worth) cleaning up and getting the house organized for the movers and taking a 1/2 hour treadmill break.

Then today hit and I knew I had to acknowledge that life is changing. I don't like saying good-bye because it makes me so sad. But I've made so many great friends here. This is the first place that I will truly miss when I leave. I know that sounds sad, but it's true. In the past I've been a bit of a hermit and just survived our posts. But here I have so many great friends. We've done cooking classes, music classes, play-dates, joyschool, many parties (who would have ever thought I would be the one throwing parties?) and just plain having fun hanging out. My kids love their kids. I love the moms and I have felt like myself around them. Sheesh... I'm gonna start crying again. I am going to miss everyone so much. My primary kids were so sweet today and gave me hugs and the sweetest cards telling me that they'll miss me. So yeah, this is hard.

It's a good thing we're headed towards friends, too. Otherwise I think I might go AWOL!

Easter Picture

Cynthia and her family came up for the weekend and we had an awesome time staying up late playing games and the kids loved having cousins around. Then we all went to church together with my parents in Normal on Easter Sunday.

Less than 3 weeks before we move. It's really hard to believe!

Tommy at 9 Months

Okay, so he technically will be 10 months in just 5 days, but we did take these pictures right around 9 months, I've just been a slacker and haven't posted. And I actually got him in to the doctor within that same week. That is practically unheard of these days!

Here are some fun things to note about Tom:

He's a big 24-pound boy that is wearing 18 month shirts and 12-month pants.

He is finally crawling. Happened right around 9 months. It started out very slow and deliberate, but he's now quite quick and disappears rapidly.

Has decided that he's attached to me. He's happy until I leave the room or move away from him. I am definitely home base right now.

Will only eat baby food if it is mixed with yogurt. Likes to eat table foods and is quite good at it.

Has 5 teeth!

Makes all sorts of fun noises and likes to copy or be copied in those sounds. Still nothing consistent.

Wakes up between 1-4 times at night. Thankfully we're most consistent with the 1 time per night. And he still needs to be swaddled to be a happy sleeping boy.

Is pulling up to his knees on furniture. Still not up to his feet. But I am okay with that!

Is still a sweet snuggler. I love how cuddly he is. I have certainly enjoyed this little guy. It is bittersweet to have him growing and changing. He is truly a blessing in our lives.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Last night Ellie and Katie were insistent that a leprechaun was going to come visit our house. So they left a note, a cupcake and hoped for the best.


Are leprechauns real? Only if you really believe... But someone or something colored the picture, left a note, took a very tiny bite out of a cupcake and left some gold (chocolate) coins for the kids to enjoy.

Happy Anniversary

TO ME!!!!

Eight years ago today I married my sweetheart in the Logan, UT temple and made the best decision ever.

Steve gave me a beautiful necklace, which was so, so sweet. And he also surprised me by having a sister in the ward (thanks, Sister Williamson!) come stay the night with the kids. I was a bit nervous to have her come, as she's a single mom with a grown son, so this would be a big shock! But she was willing, so away we went. We went out to eat, had our favorite ice cream, watched a movie and headed to a hotel. It was so nice to sleep a whole night with nobody waking me up! We had a continental breakfast in anticipation of a yummy lunch then drove another 2 hours down to the St. Louis Temple to do sealings, which is such an awesome thing to do, but especially close to a wedding anniversary. We got through just 5 before the incident outlined in the last post. And so Mom took over for Sister W, (who I guess was exhausted by Saturday afternoon- 5 kids under 7... yeah!). And that ended our wonderful anniversary weekend.

Although there were certainly dents in the road, it was wonderful to spend quality time with Steve without little ones vying for our attention. I am so grateful to be married to such a sweet, wonderful guy who takes care of me and our family and is just an awesome priesthood holder.

Mastitis

Medical dictionary definition:

inflammation of the mammary gland usually caused by infection

If only it were so cut and dry like that!

So, Saturday I got to find out what a full-blown infection felt like. I had one with Ellie that resolved on its own. I had been feeling a bit of pain for a couple days, but thought it would go away as well. Steve and I were actually in the temple doing sealings and I got light-headed. I asked for a drink of water thinking that would help. I went back in and started to feel really faint. It was time to head out. As I changed clothes I got really cold. Then I felt nauseous and hung out in the bathroom for a few minutes while I waited. Nothing happened except for worrying a few really nice sisters. I finally made it to Steve and as we left the temple I started shaking uncontrollably. And that is not an understatement. I've had the shakes after my c-sections and that was pretty miserable, not being able to relax without shaking. But this was amplified about 5 times. I had to bite down on my pillow in the car to keep from biting my tongue. It stopped my teeth from chattering, but it moved down to my legs or hands or whatever else. Even tensing up didn't relieve it. Steve rushed me to the hospital, which thankfully was basically across the street and in we went. And then we waited, and waited and waited. Nothing like being in an emergency room and have things move like molasses! I think we were sitting for about an hour. They were nice enough to bring me a heated blanket, which actually helped calm down the shaking.

By the time I reached my room the shaking had stopped but my head was pounding. My brother-in-law, Tim, was kind enough to drive over and assist Steve in giving me a blessing (thanks Tim and Cynthia!!!) It was discovered I had a 102.3 temp, so after some Tylenol, an IV drip of antibiotics and a prescription we were on our way. I slept most the way home (3 hours) and Steve was awesome to drive even though he was tired. I ate some pretzels on the way home, but those came back up a few hours later (second time ever since we've been married). Headache still hadn't gone away. I went to bed at 8, but was up every hour with either chills or sweating bullets. It was a miserable night. I awoke to a fever and headache, but after some more Tylenol and rest that finally went away. I ate a few saltines and drank a few sips of 7-up on Sunday afternoon, but that just made my stomach hurt worse. The infected area has gotten more red and the tenderness still has not gone away. I have been able to eat a little bit of food today, which is giving me a bit more energy. I'm hoping by tomorrow I'll feel much better and that infection will just go away!!!

Steve and I joked that the only way I've been able to lose weight this time around has been when I was sick and couldn't eat for a couple days. Didn't plan on doing it again just a month later! Although, I am 10 pounds lighter than I was a month ago after the first bout of stomach bugs. Exercise and diet didn't accomplish what starvation did... :-/

So yeah, miserable, miserable, miserable. And on top of it all, I think my milk is drying up. Ah... C'est la vie.

Katie's winter pictures

When we took Ryan out the other day for picture, Katie insisted on getting her picture taken as well.

Disaster Boy Turns 2

How did it happen that my little guy is turning 2 today? He has brought an enormous amount of love and laughter to this family.

Here are some of my favorite things about Birthday Boy Ryan:

He loves, loves, loves to snuggle and give hugs and kisses. He is the sweetest little boy. In the morning especially he likes to come down and snuggle with Steve.

I can't believe how polite he is. Ryan is the only one of our kids who consistently says please and thank-you. He knows if he says please he'll get pretty much whatever he wants. Why haven't the girls picked up on that? His language skills are improving significantly as well. I can understand Ryan-ese much better than most, but he is really taking great strides.

He has earned his nickname and more. Ryan can get into anything and everything. In a way I totally admire his determination. He doesn't just whine and wait for someone to do it for him. He takes matters into his own hands and accomplishes what he wants accomplished. Raiding the candy stash, tearing open a favorite snack (goldfish all over the floor), moving a stool over to get a cup and attempt to get water from the fridge by standing on the dishwasher, etc. There is almost always a mess in the wake of Ryan.

Ryan is a furniture mover. It allows him to complete those tasks outlined above.

He is learning to fight back. Sarah gets her hair pulled a lot. Katie and Ellie get hit quite a bit. We all get a tongue-out raspberry when he's frustrated. Tommy occasionally gets shoved aside when precious lap space is being infringed upon.

Ryan adores Tommy. He's constantly giving him hugs and kisses and brings him toys when he's sad. Again, there's only jealousy when Ryan wants the snuggle that Tom is receiving.

Every meal is called "yunch". If he's hungry, that's what he asks for. He eats just about everything. Luckily his food allergies have all but disappeared. I'm still careful with eggs, but that is really it. The only foods I know he can't stand and won't eat: bananas and eggs....well, up until yesterday, he devoured the scrambled eggs I made and seems to be ok with them! We don't even have him on his allergy medicine anymore which is a blessing (though that may be due to it being around zero degrees outside!)

Ryan is such a girl sometimes. He changes clothes multiple times a day (yet again, since I won't do it for him, he does it himself.) He has favorite clothes that he prefers to wear if they are clean. He does not like to be dirty for long. He screams like a girl. But I suppose that's not completely his fault. He likes to wear bracelets and carry around a purse. He likes to push babies in strollers. He loves, loves, LOVES shoes. It's really quite scary how much he likes his accessories. Ryan even loves to wear a tie to church and as soon as he knows it's church day he runs to his room and picks one out.

But he's also such a boy. He climbs on everything. He growls all the time. He loves balls and cars. His latest is to put a basket or bucket on his head and walk around trying to scare everyone. Really quite funny.

He loves to have his hands in his pockets. It always makes me laugh because he looks like he's being all "GQ" when he does it. I have to be very careful when it's time to do laundry. I have found grapes, chapstick, marbles, crackers. All sorts of fun things.

Ryan has serious separation anxiety. We've had the same babysitter for almost 2 years and he still cries when we leave. He refuses to go to Nursery alone. Steve has become Ryan's favorite, finally. My dad ("abapa") is probably a close second. Typically anyone that talks to Ryan gets a blank stare or a scowl.

We have not kicked the pacifier habit yet. We have restricted it to bedtime. He is definitely addicted! He's still in a crib, too. I'm not ready to give up either crutch yet.

He loves to read books. Some favorites (and it's funny to watch him pick up a book, look at it, and throw it down for a different one that he likes more):

We're Going on a Bear Hunt

Moo, Baa, La la la

I Feel My Savior's Love

5 Little Monkeys

Winnie the Pooh board books

I Can be Reverent

What Makes a Rainbow

10 Little Ladybugs (now destroyed...hmmm)

Ryan is the perfect addition to our family. I can't imagine life without this cuddle-bug. Happy Birthday my sweet, sweet boy.

(We had a snow-globe snow this morning and I made Steve go out and take pictures. We got some awesome ones of Katie, too that I'll post tomorrow.)