Wonderful Weekends and Halloween

From Halloween 2010

We have had a couple of nice, relaxing weekends. Last weekend (Oct. 22-24th) was the best! We did NOTHING but relax. Leif and I went to Jakob's Parent/Teacher Conference. That turned out well. He's tested above average nationally so far. That's nice, of course. I was able to spend time with a good friend after the meeting. Leif went home to do homework (so I thought.) It was so nice to visit with my friend for a while. And then when we came home, I found that Leif had straightened the house and done the dishes. Ahhh, Heavenly! That made it possible for me to relax the whole weekend. We watched movies and ate yummy food all weekend. We watched Ice Castles (good Show), Minority Report (not going to watch again), and we introduced Jakob to Star Wars (of course that was a hit!!) We started watching the documentary called BABIES on Netflix (didn't finish because the Internet router went out.) I was also able to read a great book by Shannon Hale called Book of a Thousand Days. I read her book titled Princess Academy earlier and really enjoyed it. Here are a few pictures of our baking projects and Caleb wandering through the overgrown wild flower garden now heading into Autumn sleep. Wonderful Family Time!

From Halloween 2010

From Halloween 2010

This weekend we were supposed to go to my parents house and to one of their Murder Mystery shows. We were also going to visit with Leif's sister and her family,and my good friend from high school and her family. We were all looking forward to it. Then Caleb came down with his monthly fever. This fever hit 103 degrees. So, we had to cancel all of those plans. Instead we stayed home. We were going to vegg like last week. The boys watched Star Wars pretty much all day Friday. That night we we enjoyed the company of Leif's parents and his brother Erik and his wife Stacy. The boys had a melt down around 7:00 so they had an early bedtime. After we put them to bed Leif and I were able to have an adults night out, YIPPEE! Leif's mom made us homemade spice cake donuts MMMM! We stayed up late and played a game of Domino's. It was so fun but I was EXHAUSTED! The next morning Leif and his mom made crapes, bacon, and pumpkin muffins for breakfast. WOW! I then went upstairs and finished the boys Halloween costumes. I made them each a Knights costume. It was a lot of work, but a lot of fun too!!! Leif gave me a sewing machine for an early Christmas present and I have loved tinkering with it!

I didn't mention, but Thursday was Jakob's Kindergarten Halloween parade. I took the little boys and we met Leif for the parade and then had lunch with Leif. Good Times!

From Halloween 2010

From Halloween 2010

From Halloween 2010

From Halloween 2010

From Halloween 2010

Saturday evening we all got dressed up and went to the church parking lot for a Trunk r' Treat. What a great time! We had a chili dinner and harvest desserts with hot chocolate. Then we took the kids around to the cars for goodies. It was really fun to all be together and have a lot of festive fun. Caleb won all of us that night by eating too much candy. It became impossible to monitor how much he was eating. His fever had calmed down by then but he was still crabby and not willing to take no for an answer. Well, we paid the price. Leif had to clean up a mess in the middle of the night (while I fed JJ) Caleb threw up. Such a good man!

So Sunday morning came upon us and there was no way I was going to be able to go to church. I HAD to sleep and rest more. So Leif stayed home with me and Caleb was able to rest with us as well. Jakob went to church with grandma and grandpa. Leif's mom called us over for left over chili dinner and I just sent Jakob down to deliver dessert to them Magic Cookie Bars MMMM!

So, though it would have been a lot of fun to head north. It was actually a good thing we stayed. I didn't mention details about Caleb's antics while down in the dumps. But let's just say too much driving, and fewer naps would have been really hard.

Oh, before I forget, in the middle of this past week Leif took the TEAS test in preparation for his Nursing Program application. He scored 96%. AWESOME! Especially for it being the first time taking the test. They allow someone to take the test up to 3 times per year.

So, there it is. I think I covered everything. We made some great memories and have enjoyed the last couple of weeks.

From Halloween 2010

Happy Birthday to My Girls

Well, it's been 4 years! I can't believe it. Although, it almost feels like a lifetime ago that we went through the journey with our twins. But then again, it feels like yesterday. I can still remember so many moments and the emotions that filled them...

Jakob is old enough now to understand that he has sisters in heaven. JJ talks, coos, and even laughs a lot to the ceiling. Jakob often tells me that JJ is just talking to his friends. I asked him what he meant and he said that JJ was talking to the two girls that he played with not long ago in heaven. I reminded him that those girls are his sisters as well as JJ's sisters. A precious moment.

With that, I say, You are never far from our hearts dear little ones!

A Diagnosis: For The Record

I met with the Doctor a while back. In fact, it was quite a while ago, possibly before Caleb was born. However, I remember the appointment like it was last week. The diagnosis he gave me was one that I refused to accept. I just didn't want the condition, and that was that. Gradually the symptoms subsided for me and I gradually moved on from the experience. Until I had another C-Section. Everything is back.

I have Fibromyalgia. It's such a big word. With an equally big definition. And no, it is not life threatening. Only life changing.

"ScienceDaily (June 3, 2008) — Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain condition that causes widespread pain and tenderness throughout the body. A University of Michigan study, published in The Journal of Pain, shows that fibromyalgia is associated with central nervous system abnormalities evidenced by patients’ elevated sensitivity to auditory and pressure sensations."

For some people they become consumed by pain it is so overwhelming. Gratefully, for me it is only a struggle. And I am also grateful for the hope that I have that this current flare-up will go into remission like my last (when I had a C-Section for my twins.)

I know that I haven't gone into too much detail. It's not that It's personal information. It's just boring for the most part. But it is something that I should have "on the record." So there it is. I have good days, bad days, and some VERY bad days.

All will be well one day!

Jumping In Puddles

I got a phone call yesterday around 10A. It was Leif informing me that Jakob was in the school office SOAKED and dripping from his waist down. Apparently he found a rain puddle during recess and according to him, "sometimes I forget what's in my brain." and he cannon balled into the puddle.

Well, his teacher wasn't too impressed. But you know... I was.;) It's not easy to have that much fun. But being the mom I had to act responsible. So I picked him up (checked him out of school to go to the library for Story Hour) and said, "Don't you know your not supposed to jump in puddles without rubber boots!?" He smiled. Then of course I had to follow up with, "and besides, you don't jump in puddles at school." Which got me thinking...

I'm really a homeschool mom at heart!

Fall Festival and Fondue Feast

We have had a very full and fun couple of weeks around here. Last weekend we attended our towns annual Fall Harvest Festival. It was so nice to all come together and visit with each other. Leif had an especially good time playing with all of the kids. He would let the younger kids choose a "target" then he would chase the target and swing them around. Needless to say he was Very Popular.

From Fall Festival and Fall Fondue 2010

From Fall Festival and Fall Fondue 2010

From Fall Festival and Fall Fondue 2010

From Fall Festival and Fall Fondue 2010

From Fall Festival and Fall Fondue 2010

We were filled with lots of yummy foods. And came away feeling extremely grateful for the good people that surround us every day. The final hour of the night was wonderful. Once the tables were put away we ended up dancing under the pavilion. On the way home the boys and Leif played a silly game. They pretended that the moths and bugs flying into our path were missiles and the other cars were meteors. The meteors would suck the power from our lights as we passed (Leif turned off the brights.) we all joined in the fun. It was one of those priceless family moments.

This weekend Leif and I hosted our annual Fall Fondue Feast. We invited Leif's parents, brother Erik and Stacy his wife, and his Grandpa Dixon. We had fun deciding which recipes we would make and then shopped all day the day before. Leif and I ended up making A LOT of food. Faylynn helped us. The cooking before hand is part of the fun. With such great company, delicious food and fun ambiance to top it off, we had a fabulous night. We even had a rerun dinner tonight and it was still awesome!!

From Fall Festival and Fall Fondue 2010

From Fall Festival and Fall Fondue 2010

In between our fall festivities we've been able to spread gravel throughout our yard (Thanks to Leif's dad!) This will help tremendously with mud this winter and hopefully weeds in the spring. We've also just enjoyed each others company. JJ is growing up. We call him Smiley. This picture proves that it is an appropriate nic-name. Ahhh, the Joys of Family!

From Fall Festival and Fall Fondue 2010

From Fall Festival and Fall Fondue 2010

From Fall Festival and Fall Fondue 2010

From Fall Festival and Fall Fondue 2010

From Fall Festival and Fall Fondue 2010

Mountains Conquered

This morning I woke up to two huge mountains that I HAD to conquer by the end of the day.

1. Dishes

From mountains overcome

2. Organizing the Clothes Storage Bins

From mountains overcome

I am thrilled to say, I CONQUERED my mountains! All of the dishes are washed, AND put away! And all of the bins are organized, labeled, and ready to store. I should show pictures of that instead of the messy ones. But... this way you get a better idea of why this turned out to be a Great Day!

No More Tonsils For Caleb! No More PFAPA?

UPDATE July 2011: Removing Caleb's tonsils cured his PFAPA! Amazing!

We drove 1.5 hours away today to visit with an Ear Nose and Throat specialist for 2 year old Caleb. Our boys have what is called (short version) Periodic Fever Syndrome. Some of you may have picked up on the trend. To most (including us, it feels like Caleb is always sick. This is because on a regular basis (almost like clock work) he will get either a fever, severe body aches, stomach ache, or horrible throat and mouth sores. Or he will have a combination of the four. Every month. Sometimes more then once a month. The episodes last around four days to a week. Jakob had the same episodes. Gratefully he grew out of it by the time he was 4 years old. Caleb will most likely grow out of it too. However, we just recently found out that having the child's tonsils removed sometimes helps take away the condition. If we can cure Caleb two years earlier then Jakob, we'll do it.

So anyway, we went to the specialist. The bitter/sweet thing was that Caleb is in the middle of an episode. So his throat is raw and he is sick! In the Very Beginning of the consult he told us that it would take convincing discussion to get him to remove a 2 year olds tonsils. Well, we convinced him. It really didn't take too much convincing. We had credible evidence and knowledge of what was going on and then he just looked in Caleb's throat and agreed that this is a miserable thing to let him have if there is a possible way to cure it. So, it looks like we're in for a journey in about two weeks from now. I'm not looking forward to the surgery and especially not the recovery. But I do hope it makes a big difference.

Now for the fun part. We get to drive 3 hours away to get to the hospital where the Dr. does his surgery. Living on the border of Utah and Arizona has some serious draw-backs sometimes. Our insurance will only accept Arizona doctors for special procedures. So, it's off to Flagstaff we go. Ahh, the joys! I've wanted to see Flagstaff. But this isn't quite what I expected.

So, that's the update for today!

Don't You Love It When...

Don't you Love it when...

You put the kids to bed and the little one starts crying because he has a terrible sore throat. There is nothing You can do. But you hear his big brother in there cooing and shushing him to try to comfort him and he stops crying. Yes, I love these precious brothers!

From October 2010 JJ and boys

Goodbye Wii and Netflix! Hello TIME!

In General Conference this weekend one of the speakers said "Love is spelled TIME." I know this is true. My kids are glowing after an hour of quality time. They are much nicer to each other and to me. So, today I decided to make a big change in hopes that it will bless our family. We have put away the Wii and Netflix. We use Netflix's Instant Movies daily. We don't watch anything that brings a bad feeling into the home. However, one movie can lead to another and another and another. By the end of the day I began tallying how many hours of movies compared to hours of quality time we had and the results were very poor.

Today after Jakob was home from school the boys played with their toys. We read several books together. We had nap time without a fight. After nap time Jakob and I sat together and made a 27 page Sight Words book. We copied pictures of Jets of the Internet and Jakob helped me create a sentence using his sight words for each picture. Talk about productive and TIME! After dinner Leif sat with the boys and played online games going over patterning and math. We then read a book together about Christ for Family Home Evening and then the boys took a shower. Now they're in bed and it has been a great day!

Leif came home from work today and he commented on how quiet the house was. We listened to some great piano music to liven things up a bit;)

Random Photos

I wish I could make the time to write all that comes to mind (well, not EVERYTHING;) But I have a lot of topics floating around to write about. But my only quiet time is after the kids are in bed. And that is MY bed time too. So the writing has slowed down a lot. But I do have random pictures I can post. That doesn't take too much thought. The big boys are playing with a paper airplane at the moment and JJ's asleep/awake in his crib. So let's give this a try...

Turns out that some of these are photos that I wanted to make into their own post. But I haven't got a chance. So this will be a long one.

Okay, I'm taking the easy way out. I'll post them as a slide show. But I'll give you an idea of what the pictures are about.

The first few are of JJ's first bath. I can't believe how little he was. He's 13 pounds now.

The one of us holding flags on the side of the road was taken by Deseret News. We went to the funeral procession for Deputy Brian Harris of Kane County who was shot in our town. It was a very sobering experience. Sad!

One is of Caleb in his cow boy boots. He is SO CUTE!

The red pepper is from our little Earth Box garden. I was so thrilled to get a thick skinned COLORED pepper! Really, it's just because we are horrible at harvesting our veggies and they turn colors the longer they're on the vine;)

A couple of photos taken inside our Conference Tent during this October Conference.

And finally, pictures of JJ having Tummy Time. The only problem is that he fell right to sleep within a minute of sitting him there. We had to get a picture!

Don't You Love It When..

Don't You Love It When...

• General Conference weekend comes around and your 6 year old insists that it's among the BEST days of the year! LOVE IT! And I pray he continues to feel that way. Guess I better keep the sweets and coloring pages stocked even when he's 16;)
• You put the kids to bed, finish the house work, and then sit down with a nice big hunk of ICE CREAM... Ahhh Yeeah!
• The house is cleaned (including vacuumed!)
• You find a killer deal on a new vacuum at the thrift store. My kitchen floor will be so much more sanitary!
• You run smack into another AWESOME STEAL at the thrift store, like a new side-by-side fridge for only $125.00. I can now open our fridge and I don't feel like I'm staring into an overflowing cave. SOOO LOVE IT!
• The lights are dim, the baby's asleep, and it's YOU'RE bedtime Too! And then you get to climb in bed with the man of your dreams and brand new sateen sheets... Heaven Indeed!