So Long 2010!

If you are reading in chronological order, you already know we had an exciting trip to Grandma and Grandpa's on Christmas Eve. In addition to the moose we saw a flock of wild turkeys, two golden eagles, and the usual deer, antelope and geese.

We arrived in time for dinner. For dessert Great Grandma made Uncle S an angel food cake. Angel food cake is not my favorite so I don't make it for the girls. Flower thought it was pretty good. When we told her it was called angel food cake, she looked at Grandma and said, "Did you shoot an angel?".


Keilie dog was ready for bed on Christmas Eve…she didn’t want Santa to pass us by.

On our way home we saw a gorgeous sunset. I considered pulling over to take a photo, but we were on the interstate and there was quite a bit of traffic. Princess asked why I didn't want to pull over. I told her I didn't want anyone to stop to see if we needed help. (Note: Princess and I had a tire blow out on the way to school a couple weeks ago on the interstate.) Princess shrugged and said, "Why? No one stopped to help the last time." Good point.

We have spent the week hanging out at home playing with our new Christmas toys. The girls got a new dance game for the Wii which is a big hit with them and very entertaining for the rest of us as well. A big storm rolled in Wednesday and dumped a bunch of snow. A cold front followed it so today we are supposed to reach a balmy 5 below.

The girls and I didn't leave the house yesterday and might not today either. Dear Husband braved the cold and went skiing yesterday because he couldn't pass up the fresh powder. He is complaining about being old and sore today.

We might break out the fondue pot tonight. Princess likes fondue on New Year's Eve...that's how we ring in the New Year. For those of you with big plans for tonight, have fun, be safe, and Happy New Year!

Mooseltoe

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;

We were headed north on the cut-a-cross
With snow in every direction, from Mother Nature’s toss;

When to our surprise, a moose did we see;
Feasting upon a cottonwood tree!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas is coming, the geese are getting fat
Please put a penny in the old man's hat
If you haven't got a penny, a ha'penny will do
If you haven't got a ha'penny, then God bless you!

Since I didn't have time to write anything this month, I thought I'd post a few photos of what we've been doing (Christmas programs, piano recital, decorating the tree, baking cookies...you get the idea). Merry Christmas!

December - Week 1

I remembered why the end of November always makes me grumpy. It is because the first week of December is always crazy. Here is how it goes.

December 1st - start of 3-day conference for work...now I'm behind at work.
December 2nd - Dear Husband's office holiday open house.
December 3rd - ice skating party.
December 4th - annual trek to cut down our Christmas tree.
December 5th - festival of trees and photos with Santa.

Between the above festivities I need to fit in laundry, cleaning, shopping, and decorating. I think I'm going to need a case of red bull.

Are You Ready?

Goodbye November. Hello December. Shoppers, start your engines.

I am terribly behind this year. I need motivation. The girls want Christmas lights. Lots and lots of Christmas lights. I want time to stop for about 3 days so I can get my shopping done, cut a tree, decorate said tree, hang copious amounts of white lights on the house, bake cookies, make popcorn balls, fudge and caramels, and drink lots of hot cocoa.

Tomorrow I vow to have a better attitude. I will update my list, mark off the few things I have done, and add the other 40 things to the list that are bouncing around in my head. Tonight I am going to grumble about all the things I have to do in the next 25 days. Ho, ho, ho....Merry Christmas!

José

Dear Husband was home for a brief visit last night between work in Idaho and hunting trips. We had an early dinner and sat down to watch TV for a few minutes. DH had the Thursday night football game on and a man with an awesome voice was singing the national anthem.

Princess sang along and then we went downstairs to practice our music lesson. While I was waiting for Princess to get her books out I started to play a few notes from the national anthem on the piano.

Princess put her books on the piano and I quit playing and moved over for her. She looked at me and said, “Mommy, play the José Song again!” I was confused for a moment and then it occurred to me what she was saying.

José, can you see, by the dawn's early light….

Boating

In our haste this morning Flower thought we were going to take the raft on the river. She looked at me and asked if we were going on the boat. I was confused for a moment and then it occurred to me that she must have misunderstood Princess when she woke her up. Princess loves to help me vote but Flower didn’t remember voting in the primary. So when Princess told her we were going to vote on the way to school I think Flower thought she said boat. I don’t think Flower had as much fun voting as she has boating, but we got our stickers to wear proudly today.

Election Day 2010

Did you do your patriotic duty and vote today? I did. As a government employee who was given the day off, it was the least I could do.

Another strange thing happened this morning. I set my alarm for one hour later than I usually set it on weekday mornings. I got up when it went off rather than hitting snooze a couple times. I showered, got dressed, did quick makeup and hair. Princess got up on her own and got dressed. Lunch and backpack were ready to go so I decided to see if we could get out the door early enough to vote on our way to school.

Princess got Flower up and helped her get dressed. I combed their hair and brushed teeth while Dear Husband sliced an apple and got my coffee ready. Princess got breakfast bars and coats. We found shoes and were out the door. One hour and ten minutes from the time my alarm went off. The exact same routine usually takes us 2 hours and 15 minutes.

Now I am wondering what the hectic do I do for an hour every morning? Now I have to think of a new excuse why I don’t have time to workout in the morning.

Thankful

I think I know what Flower meant at lunch on Friday when she asked God to please keep Mommy and Daddy together. Dear Husband had a minor incident on his way home from town Saturday afternoon which could very easily have been a major accident.

DH bought new tires for the Expedition last Tuesday. He drove the Expedition home Tuesday, to work on Wednesday, and then left it sitting at his office until Saturday when got back from Idaho. DH returned his work truck to his office and met the girls and I to get groceries and a pumpkin to carve. We needed one last item so he went to another store and the girls and I went home with the groceries.

I had just finished putting away the groceries when DH called to say his rig broke down. He didn’t sound very happy and I don’t blame him. He was half way home when three bolts were sheared off of his rear driver side wheel and the back end of the Expedition started fishtailing all over the road.

Fortunately he was able to slow down and stop. He found three lug nuts on the interstate, the fourth came off in his hand and the last one was still on the bolt but he could loosen it easily with his hand. Apparently whoever put the new tires on forgot to tighten the lug nuts.

There is no doubt in my mind that God was watching over DH. I can’t even think about what might have happened if the last two bolts had sheared off and the wheel had come off at 80 mph. It makes you stop and think about what’s really important in life. I didn’t worry about how messy the house was last weekend, I was thankful we were all home safely.

Happy Halloween!

A Premonition?

Flower and I were sitting down to lunch today and I asked her to say grace before we eat. She delivers her usually blessing for the food, to which I add “and please bring daddy home safely today.” Dear Husband is coming home from his project in Idaho today. So Flower repeats her blessing and adds a peculiar request at the end.

Thank you Jesus for this food, bring Daddy home safely, and keep Mommy and Daddy together.

I am not kidding. Those were her exact words. It’s a good thing we hadn’t started eating yet or I might have choked. Where does she get this stuff?

October

How did we get to the middle of October already? Halloween is almost a week away. Big game season opens this weekend. I hate to even say this but at this rate it will be Christmas soon. Ugh.

So if you are wondering what exciting things we've been up to that keeps us so busy I don't have an answer. SSDD.

Dear Husband has spent the last two weeks in Idaho working on a project at a mine. He has canceled two hunting trips the past two weekends for various reasons but he will be gone this weekend and part of next week.

The girls and I went spent the first weekend in October at Grandpa and Grandma's and we'll be headed there on Thursday for another visit. It seems that is what we do during hunting season.

The weather has been beautiful so we floated the river a couple weekends ago. Last weekend we started to cut down some of our dead trees. We cut one trailer load of dead branches and you can't even tell we did anything. It's going to be a bigger project than we thought.

The girls started music lessons again so that keeps us busy. So far there has only been two school activities; open house and the annual fund raiser dinner.

Princess loves kindergarten. She told me Mrs. B is the best teacher in the entire world. I reminded her that she said Mrs. F was the best teacher in the entire world last year and she said they both were. Princess lost her 7th tooth last week so she only has one more tooth to lose and she'll be done for a while....and tooth number 8 is very loose.

Flower is, well, Flower. Princess was being a bit sassy the other night as we were getting ready for bed so I told Princess she was not allowed to talk until she could do so nicely. Flower, in a very serious manner, looked at me and said "Princess can't talk because you said so and you our mama." I told her she was correct. Flower looked downstairs into the living room where DH was watching TV. She pointed to DH and said, "That guy our daddy." Again, I told her she was correct. She looked down at DH again and said, "I like him." Me too pretty girl, me too!

It's the Little Things

A couple weeks ago I was in our bathroom getting ready for bed when Flower came sneaking around the corner. She wanted to snuggle in our bed for just 60 minutes...please mommy, just 60 minutes!!! Sometimes I can't bring myself to tell her no, she's just so darn cute, so we jumped in bed to snuggle, for 5 minutes, not 60.

When Flower says snuggle, she really means talk non-stop while twisting and turning and flopping around. It's really more like ducking and dodging an octopus than snuggling. I learned long ago to take off my glasses and shield my face from her flailing arms.

As we were "snuggling", Flower told me she wanted a bedspread, like Princess's bedspread. I didn't buy Flower a bedspread after she moved into the bottom of the trundle bed because she sleeps with her doggy blanket on top of the sheets. But she was very serious about the bedspread so that Friday we went shopping after we dropped Princess off at school.

We went to the usual places; Ross, Target, ShopKo. Nothing was what we (and by we, I mean, I) wanted. Target was too expensive, Ross didn't have anything in a twin, and I can't remember what ShopKo had so it must have been ugly. Princess was sad. She was sure we would never find a bedspread for her no matter how many times I told her we would keep looking until we found something.

After school that day we stopped at JCPenney. They had one comforter but it was bright orange and red....we were looking for something purple. Again, Flower was sad. As a last resort I went to WalMart last week and I'll be darned, they had two really cute bedspreads in purple and pink.

I hid Flower's new bedspread until last Saturday. Even though it was Princess's birthday I thought Flower might like a surprise too. She was so excite about her new bedspread. Every morning when she wakes up she thanks me and tells me how much she likes it. Sometimes it's the little things that really make me smile.

Birthday Weekend

We survived another birthday weekend. Princess turned 6 yesterday. Grandma and Grandpa came Friday night. They took the girls shopping and out to lunch at Applebee’s on Saturday. Grandma said the girls worried the entire time that their waiter wouldn’t bring the birthday sundae and sing. They were happily mistaken.

We had a party for her and her friends at the park, which included a scavenger hunt and lots of fun in the sun. The weather was perfect. We could not have asked for a better day.

After the party all the grandparents came to our house for dinner. Princess is into spaghetti these days….as in she wants spaghetti for dinner every, single, night. So Dear Husband made a big batch of sauce Friday evening and he served it up with a big bowl of pasta, salad and garlic bread for dinner. It was really good, and I don’t even like spaghetti.

We spent the evening watching Princess open gifts and model her new clothes. She liked most of them, which is very surprising and we only have to exchange a few things. Grandma L got her a pair of Puma sweats that were size 7/8 and they are too small. Too small? Who were they made for? Princess is a little tall for her age but she is not a giant. Great Grandma C gave her a fancy pair of high heel shoes with tiny straps….they were a big hit. We stayed up way, way past our bedtime but a fun day was had by all.

Today we missed church. I was just plain tired. I woke up about 4:00 am with a raging headache. Not sure why, but it was a monster. Grandma and Grandpa played a game of Jenga with us over coffee and then took off for home. Grandpa was itching to get his seeding done. Then we played a heated game of Mouse Trap in our pjs.

We spent the rest of the morning surgically removing Barbie dolls from their boxes (Who at Mattel decided Barbies need four thousand tiny pieces of plastic to hold them in their boxes??? Really, where are they going???). Princess received a swimming pool for Barbie that came with a yellow lab who swims around the pool. It’s actually pretty cool; I played with it for a while too. Then the girls decided the swimming pool wasn’t big enough and they ran a bath for all the water Barbies they have….I didn’t realize how many they had until I looked at them all lined up drying on the bathroom counter.

Then we had snow cones, got dressed, and ate lunch. Princess chose a new blue skirt with a busy blue and green flower print with a purple and white horizontal striped shirt. There is no question, the girl has a style all her own. After lunch we made play dough ice cream cones and sundaes. Then we watched a new DVD, played with the Barbie pool some more, and now we are starting another game of Jenga.

Dear Husband is making chicken potpie for dinner, one of my favorites. There is a mess in every single room of the house except for our bedroom, I think but I haven’t been upstairs in a while so I can’t be certain. DH and I just finished off the last two glass of IPA from the growler we opened last night. So far it’s been a darn good weekend.

The Big Game

Last night Dear Husband’s office had their first annual company softball game and bbq. I took a couple hours off work, picked up Princess from school, and met DH and Flower at the softball field.

DH hasn’t played softball since we moved here ten years ago. He has always enjoyed playing softball so he was excited about last night, even if most of his coworkers have never played in a league and those who did haven’t played in years.

Princess and I arrived at the fields a minute before DH and Flower so we waited in the parking lot for them. DH jumped out of the Expedition, quickly unbuckled Flower, grabbed his bag and headed for the fields….he was late for batting practice.

The girls crawled in the back of the Denali to get their coats on and I was in the front seat changing my shirt. As DH walks away from us (dressed in one of his softball uniforms from the 90s), Princess said, “Daddy’s pants look funny”. Flower replied, “Yeah, I know!” with a giant eye roll and sigh. I’m afraid this is only the beginning of the eye rolling but at least we know a sure fire way to embarrass our children, drag out the baseball pants….

Chocolate Milk

One of the items in the school newsletter last week was milk. The teacher asked every family to sign up for a week to bring a gallon of milk for the kids. I decided to get my turn out of the way so we brought milk this week.

I picked Princess up from school today so I asked her if she had milk with her lunch. She said she didn’t want milk today so I reminded her all she needed to do is ask for milk at lunchtime and it doesn’t matter who brought the milk because we are sharing.

Princess doesn’t like chocolate milk so she was worried that someone might bring chocolate milk. I assured her that chocolate milk was for snacks and special treats, not for meals. I told Princess I was sure no one would bring chocolate milk to share at lunch. Princess thought about it for a minute and said, “Yeah, but you’re the only mom smart enough to know that.” It's nice to know Princess thinks I’m smart.

To Labor or Not to Labor?

Our sleepy Sunday turned into a working Sunday. In my post yesterday I said harvesting the garden shouldn’t take long….I was wrong. Dear Husband and I slaved away all day and we didn’t get half of the garden in. This is our first garden and we underestimated the time it takes to put up a few vegetables and herbs.

Yesterday DH brought in some of the carrots and beets. I cleaned them and put them in freezer bags until we decide what to do with them. Then we made a quick trip to town for groceries and baking supplies.

It took us all afternoon to bake a carrot cake, four loaves of zucchini bread, and lasagna. Saturday night our friends were telling us about the veggie lasagna they made with their zucchini and it sounded really good. So DH took Nana’s lasagna recipe, which we love, and replaced half of the noodles with zucchini slices and added some carrots and cubed zucchini to the meat sauce. We invited Nana, Papa and Grandma over for dinner to try out our experiment. The lasagna was delicious and cake turned out really good too.

DH left early this morning to go fishing with his buddies. Princess got up before Flower and I and made breakfast for us. She set the table with the red tablecloth. She made us all a bowl of cheerios with a glass of milk and a cookie for dessert.

I am trying to find the motivation to do something about the floor. It doesn’t look so good after all the cooking yesterday. I’m procrastinating with a cup of coffee sitting at the computer. The girls put the ABBA cd in the stereo and they are acting out their favorite scenes from Mamma Mia. Maybe I’ll labor a little on Labor Day, or maybe not.

BTW-did anyone notice today is the 5th day of the month and I have 4 posts already...and this makes 5...that is 2 more posts than July and August together. Now, if I could just write about something useful....

Sleepy Sunday

We should be getting ready to leave for church right now. Instead, I’m blogging, Dear Husband is watching a survival show on TV, Princess just got up and curled up on our bed to watch cartoons, and Flower is still asleep. I guess we’ll write it off to a holiday weekend and let Flower sleep.

The girls are tired. Friday night we had friends over. We roasted marshmallows and the kids ran around the yard until 11:00 pm. DH had planned a “camping trip” in the backyard and set the tent up earlier that evening so we slept outside and the sun came up very early Saturday morning.

Yesterday the girls wanted a play date at Nana and Papa’s house. DH and I dropped them off after lunch and went to town to run some errands. We ran into some friends and ended up with dinner plans, which morphed into more friends at a wings joint. By the time we got back to pick up the girls it was late. It’s overcast the cool this morning, perfect weather for sleeping and Flower is taking full advantage.

Today we are planning to harvest the garden, which shouldn’t take long. We have a bumper crop of carrots, beets, and basil. Our friends brought us a sack of zucchini last night. This afternoon we’ll be making pesto and baking carrot cake and zucchini bread.

Tomorrow DH has a fishing trip planned with his buddies. I’m not sure what the girls and I will do. The weather forecast looks cold and wet so maybe we’ll stay in, drink hot cocoa, and say goodbye to summer.

Green Pumpkin Pie

The girls and I have been reading the Little House on the Prairie series this year. We started in January and read a chapter or two each night before bed. The girls really like to hear about the Ingalls family and I enjoy the books too.

This week we started the sixth book in the series “The Long Winter”. In the chapter we read last night the Ingalls awoke to a very hard frost on the 1st of October that did a number on their garden. They had to pick at the vegetables including the green tomatoes. When I said green tomatoes Flower said “Ew, gross, green tomatoes!” and wrinkled up her face. I don’t think she has ever had green tomatoes, I’m sure I haven’t, so I don’t know why she thinks they would be so disgusting.

Later on in the chapter Ma decided to make a pie from a small pumpkin. Princess fell asleep early but Flower was still listening. Flower heard the word pie and immediately started spouting ideas for a pie. She told me we could make a green pumpkin pie from our garden. I reminded her that we didn’t plant any pumpkins in our garden, to which she replied, “Nana and Papa did, we could ask them for a green pumpkin.” Problem solved.

Then we discussed the green pumpkin pie. Flower decided it should have salt and pepper in it, but no sauce. Then she changed her mind and said no pepper, just salt. Now we have a recipe….green pumpkin pie with salt….a Flower original.

The Refrigerator

About a month ago Auntie A called. She said she was making some upgrades to her kitchen and wanted to know if we wanted her current fridge and oven. Immediately I said yes. She has a counter-depth stainless steel refrigerator with water and ice in the door. We have a floor model plain-jane giant white box that has made strange noises since the day it was installed.



Too make the deal even sweeter there was a stainless steel oven rounding out the package. All we had to do was drive to her house and pick it up.

Last weekend Dear Husband took a quick road trip with Nana and Papa to retrieve our new appliances. DH installed the fridge last night and it looks fabulous.

We have had the giant white beast for over ten years. Every time we go to Home Depot DH checks the part of the store where they keep the stuff they dropped off the truck in hopes of finding a slightly dented counter-depth stainless steel fridge in our price range. Our kitchen is average size and it’s designed for a counter-depth fridge. We didn’t want to spend the extra money for the fancy fridge. We didn’t think it would make that much of a difference.

We were wrong.



It’s amazing how a couple extra inches of floor space will open up a room. Our kitchen looks so much bigger. So if you are in the market for a new fridge and have a small kitchen, I’d highly recommend spending the extra cash on the counter-depth fridge. Thanks Auntie A and Uncle L, we LOVE our new fridge and we can't wait to get the oven installed!

Haircuts

Dear Husband, Princess and I all got our haircut within the past week. Princess and I had a little trim as part of our back-to-school preparation. DH had a different kind of haircut.

DH has a new project at work with a mining company in Idaho. As part of the project he will need to provide oversight during the construction. He had a meeting with the client on Monday in Idaho and the following morning he was required to provide a hair sample in order to work at the site.

When I got home from work last night DH leaned his head back and asked me if I could see a chunk of hair missing from his head. Initially I didn’t notice since his hair is blonde and short, but after he pointed out the spot, he is missing a chunk of hair on the top of his head about the size of a quarter.

I have never worked for an employer who requires drug testing and this was the first hair sample DH has given so neither of us knew the procedure. According to DH, a man with the personality of a wet mop grabbed a fist full of his hair and cut it off at the scalp.

Fortunately DH wears a hat 90% of his waking hours and his hair style is on the short side so no one will notice the spot. But now I am wondering if they would have taken the sample in the same manner had it been me because a chunk of hair missing from the top of my head would be very noticeable, for about a year.

Day One

Princess is officially a schoolgirl and loving every minute of it. She has two new friends and both of their names start with M so she is having a little trouble keeping them straight while telling me what they did at recess. Although she is a little worried because one of her new friends doesn’t like to swing so recess has been problematic. Did I mention you get to go to recess three times in kindergarten? Princess has reminded me of this fact many, many times.

Yesterday Dear Husband and I took Princess to school and got her situated. We looked around her room, gave her a hug and kiss, and left. She didn’t seem to care much when we left and there wasn’t a trace of a tear. In fact all the kids seemed to be ok when their parents headed out.

This morning on the way to school she told me her teacher writes the number of the day of the school year on the board every morning so today would be two. Then Princess asked me how many days of school there was this year. I told her about 180. She was ecstatic. I hope she can keep up this level of enthusiasm for the rest of her education.

Flower is taking school better than I expected, but that’s just Flower. She really wants to go to school with Princess, but once we get to daycare she heads to the playroom. I think she’s secretly enjoying being the “big” girl because she’s the second oldest now and Princess isn’t there to boss her around all day.

I think I am adjusting to school. The evenings have been a little chaotic this week but our mornings have gone very well so I can’t complain. We have packed our lunches, laid out our clothes, and planned breakfast at night. Hopefully we won’t fall of the organization wagon after the first week of school.

Two weeks.....

until Princess goes to kindergarten. Where did the time go? Wanda, Auntie A and Auntie C, you'll be saying the same thing. Soon.

We finally got the school supply list on Saturday. Luckily school supplies were still on sale and we got everything we needed for around $10. The girls each got a new pair of tennis shoes and our school shopping was over. Princess could use some clothes but she won't wear anything besides a couple pair of shorts and tees. The girl has been wearing the same 4 pair of undies for two years. They are finally starting to fall apart at the seams. Do you think she will wear new undies? Oh no. Princess is going to be very unhappy when she finds them in the garbage but I can't let her wear holey underwear any longer.

Tomorrow we have a doctor appointment for Princess to get her shots. That should be fun. At least Flower will be with us to provide entertainment. Flower will probably volunteer to take the shots for Princess.

On the home front, Flower's cough came back in full force. I am going to see if the doctor has any ideas because mucinex isn't working. Princess woke up with a bloodshot eye and stuffy nose this morning. Her eye is better tonight, but still a little red so we will see what the doctor says about that tomorrow as well. It better not be pink eye.

Tomorrow night is our last swimming lesson. The girls loved swimming and did really well. Much better than expected. Princess didn't have any problems putting her face under water and holding her breath. Flower did everything the teacher asked and sat on the step and listened...unlike the two other 3-yr old girls in our class. This weekend we have a couple day trips planned; one for Dear Husband's work and one to see Auntie A, Uncle L and the twins. That's about it. Have a good week.

July

Oops! I guess I missed July. My apologies to my 3 readers. If we had gone on a family vacation to Europe or something I would have an excuse, but we didn't. We did some stuff, nothing really exciting, but stuff none the less.

Auntie A and the twins came to visit
10 days at grandma and grandpa's with Auntie C and Cousin H
Camping
Yard work
Bannack Days
Swimming lessons
Aunt K and Cousins B & S came for a short visit
Kiddie day at a local nursery
State Fair

That is all that comes to mind. Flower had a fever for a few days, something viral. Princess had a cold and gave it to me a couple weeks ago. I think I'm almost over it. DH has been out of town a couple times for work. That sums up July. I'll try to do better in August.

Two

2 – the number of trips we made to urgent care last weekend

2 – the number of children with a fever

2 x 2 – the number of doctors I spoke with about the tick embedded in Princess last week

2 x 2 – the number of opinions on tick engorgement, contracting a tick-borne illness, and possible causes for Princess’s fever

1 – the current plan of action….wait for a rash

If you recall, the first doctor (who is on vacation until the 21st) we saw after the tick was discovered on Princess told me to watch for a fever and bring her in if she had a fever. Sunday Princess had a fever so we headed to urgent care. The same nurse we saw Friday was there and she was surprised to see us.

The doctor checked, and double-checked, tick bite protocol. Without a rash there was nothing she could do for us. She had some different stats on tick bites than the first doctor told me as well as what the first urgent care doctor said on Friday. It seems there are many different opinions on the time a tick must be embedded in its host before it passes on the nasty stuff.

She did find a little redness and fluid in Princess’s ears so we decided to blame the fever on a virus and wait it out. She also told me to call our regular doctor yesterday and discuss everything with him. He, too, is out of the office this month so I got another doc in his office….now I have a fourth opinion. Are you confused yet? I am.

It all seems to boil down to a rash. Unless Princess gets a rash, they won’t treat her for any tick-borne illnesses because of her age. It sounds like the one and only antibiotic they give is pretty strong and not the best for children unless they really need it. This is ok with me, except the doctor we saw the day we discovered the tick told me to bring her in when the fever started because he wanted to catch it before she got the rash. Maybe I misunderstood him, but that is what I remember.

Today Princess is feeling much better. Her fever is down quite a bit so I think she just had a little virus. Hopefully this will be the end of the tick saga. Who knew one little bug could cause so much trouble?

I am drawing a blank....

I couldn't think of a name for this post. Flower's Fever? Just a quick update for those of you following the tick saga.

It was been 6 days since the last tick sighting. We have been checking for ticks morning and night. Apparently it has already become a habit because we were at urgent care this morning (hold your horses, I'll get to it) and Flower looked at me, raised her arms so I could her armpits, and said "Check for ticks Mommy."

Yes, I did mention urgent care. We got to visit urgent care this morning, not because we were very sick, although it was worse than I thought, but because the soonest appointment I could get at the doctor's office was Sunday.

Flower had a rough night. Now that I think about it, she has not been sleeping well all week. She woke up crying a few times last night. When I asked her what was wrong she kept saying she missed Daddy. We were up half of the night and I was getting little annoyed.

When Flower got up this morning she felt a little warm so I took her temp. 99.8 so a little warm, but nothing to worry about unless you have been bitten by a tick recently. I got a little worried. Then Flower said her ear hurt. Phew! No rocky mountain spotted fever, just an ear infection. Yeah!

I took the frozen tick to the doctor anyway, just in case. He did want to see it, so at least it wasn't a wasted trip on the part of the tick. Flower has an infection in both ears. One is very red and looks like it may rupture. The other ear looks like the infection just started.

For those of you who are keeping score, this is Flower's second ear infection in 2 months. The doc we saw today checked her chart and didn't say anything but I got the impression he didn't like the antibiotic prescribed for the last infection. He gave us a different antibiotic so I hope it works fast. Flower is miserable. All the way home from the pharmacy she whimpered and begged me to hurry.

So that is all I have to report. No ticks, two infected ears. We are taking a road trip tomorrow with Nana and Papa to see Auntie A, Uncle L, and the twins. The girls are excited to see them again. Happy Friday!

Ticked Off: Part II

Unfortunately there is more to the story. Part II has good news and bad news.

The good news is that now we don't think Princess had a tick embedded in her head all week. The bad news is that we found a tick on Flower yesterday afternoon.

Flower was in the bathroom and I went to help her finish up. I helped her off the potty and noticed something in the crease of her leg. You guessed it, tick number 2. I sent Princess to find Dear Husband. He is a pro at tick removal (and yes, his service is available to anyone in need) now so he showed up with alcohol and tweezers. Princess brought the sandwich bag. DH removed, bagged, and labeled the tick in seconds. Now we have a collection of frozen ticks.

You are probably wondering what the good news is. Flower's tick was barely in her and I know it wasn't there Friday at bedtime so we think she picked it up Saturday morning. We didn't leave the house Saturday morning. This means Princess might have picked up her tick in the house, most likely on Thursday.

From the online research we've learned ticks can only live on another animal or in wet environments. When we got home from our hike on Monday we were all soaked to the bone and muddy. We threw our wet clothes in the laundry. Then we found the leaking water heater and I immediately forgot about our wet clothes.

Thursday I decided to do laundry. I remember sorting the damp, smelly stuff from Monday and cursing myself for letting them sit for three days. I sorted the laundry on the floor downstairs. There is a large plant very close to this area. We think the ticks (hopefully only 2) made their way to the plant or one immediately found Princess.

Now we are all performing tick checks twice daily. I am examining every small round brown thread in the carpet. Keilie dog is wearing a tick collar. I am praying we only brought 2 ticks home with us. DH is leaving tomorrow on a fishing trip and will be gone all week. I hope I won't need the tweezers in his absence.

As a side note, we were seated in church this morning when Nana, Papa, and Grandma M arrived. Princess started shouting to Nana as they approached our isle, "Nana, Nana, guess what....Flower got a tick too!" Flower was standing next to me by the isle so Papa leaned over to say hi to Flower and ask me if she really did get a tick. Flower immediately pulled her pants down and showed God, Papa, and those seated near us the little red mark on her groin. The child is not modest.

Ticked Off

Do you ever have one of those days when you feel like a failure as a mother? I had one yesterday.

It all began Monday when we went for a hike. We got caught in a rainstorm and forgot our snack bag in the pickup but that is another post.

Fast forward to Friday morning. The girls were brushing their teeth and I was combing their hair. Princess wanted pigtails. As I started to brush her hair she said her head hurt. I asked her if she hit her head on something and she said no. I started to part her hair looking for a bump and found a tick. Yes, a tick. A wood tick to be exact.

I’m sure you have already done the math. Four days. It had probably been there since Monday. Four days a parasite had been living on my child and I didn’t notice.

In my defense, both Nana and myself had bathed and shampooed Princess since Monday. I combed her hair every morning this week. Great Grandma M even brushed her hair on Thursday afternoon. None of us noticed the tick. Princess didn’t notice and apparently it didn’t hurt until yesterday.

I immediately called Dear Husband. Ticks fall in his area of expertise. He didn’t answer his office phone or his cell phone. I left messages to call me asap. Then I got the tweezers out. I had all the methods of tick removal running through my head; burn them with hot tweezers, smother them with petroleum jelly, and never, ever let them break off in your skin.

I took a deep breath, grabbed him with the tweezers, and pulled. The second his little legs started flailing I was done. Up until that point I wasn’t sure if it was still alive. I thought maybe he was dead and would pull out easily. I was wrong.

Since he didn’t look like he wanted to come out of Princess’s head easily, I got the petroleum jelly out. I covered him in it. Big mistake. Now Princess had a tick embedded in her head covered with Vaseline. Even if he did pull out I wouldn’t be able to see it so how would I know to remove it. Then DH calls and we discuss all the information he was reading online. Tip #1 – Never use petroleum jelly, it just makes them mad. Check.

I called the doctor and they told me to bring her in over the lunch hour. I decided to try to wash off the Vaseline so I put Princess in the shower and tried to gently clean it. That didn’t work very well either. I am going to be washing Vaseline out of her hair for the next month. I was able to get enough of it off so we could see the tick again so that was good.

DH came home from work. He said he could tell by the sound of my voice I wasn’t going to be able to pull the tick out. He was right. He read online to pull very, very slowly and let the tick release on its own. He did and it worked perfectly. One tick removed completely.

We got it done in time to go to the end of year picnic at school. Then we went to the doctor. He examined the hole in Princess’s head (it’s about the size of a pencil eraser and bright red). He said we did a great job removing it. DH said we were supposed to take the tick to the doctor so I did. The doctor said not to worry, ticks around here don’t carry the really bad diseases and this one probably doesn’t carry anything due to the area where we picked him up. Nonetheless we are to put the tick in the freezer and keep an eye on Princess for the next week. Any sign of a fever we are to come in immediately and bring the tick for analysis.

Princess is very proud of her tick. She showed it to everyone we saw yesterday. Her music teacher lived in Maryland and she said ticks were so common there that her pediatrician’s office removed and tested every single one. I guess we should feel fortunate we don’t have to deal with ticks that frequently.

Nana and I still can’t believe we both missed it all week. The part of my brain that tries to rationalize everything is wondering if maybe the tick was hiding in her coat all week and got on Princess Thursday night. It’s probably not true, but it makes me feel better.

Babies, Babies, Babies

We've had a run on new cousins lately. Auntie A gave us two beautiful baby girls in February and they came to visit us last month. The girls had a wonderful time with the twins....and they never had to share since there was a baby for everyone!



Ten days ago Cousin C graced us with his presence. We made a quick trip north last weekend to meet him. He is the most handsome little guy I've seen in a long time. I took a few pictures so you can see my babies holding my brother's baby. Auntie S and Uncle S are very proud parents.



If you look closely you'll notice Princess is toothless. In the past month she has lost four teeth; her top middle teeth and two lower teeth next to her middle teeth.



My baby graduates from pre-k tomorrow. Yes, I did say graduate. After graduation there is a reception. It should be interesting.

The Yankees

Completely out of the blue at dinner tonight Princess took a drink of cold juice, winced, and said to Dear Husband "My teeth can't stand cold things like you can't stand the Yankees."

Horizontal or Vertical?

You may recall the girls have their music recital tomorrow night. I try not to worry about these things too much, but I won’t lie to you, I want them to do well and look adorable.

Friday afternoon I was in the kitchen when I heard Flower wailing. I ran to the stairs and saw her walking out of the playroom in tears holding the side of her head. I could tell by the sound of her cry she was really hurt. Upon further investigation I determined she and Princess were playing with my laundry basket, which is one of the tall narrow types, and Princess left the room leaving Flower stuck in the laundry basket. Flower attempted to exit the basket, tipped it over, and fell face first into the dollhouse.

Flower must have hit the dollhouse pretty hard because she pushed it back a couple inches. Her face did not look so good. Her left cheek took the majority of the fall. She had a big purple spot the size of a golf ball on her face with a vertical welt down the middle. My first thought was how am I going to cover that up for the recital?

We iced Flower’s cheek as much as she could stand. Her lip and nose were also sore to the touch so I was expecting a big bruise. By the time Dear Husband got home an hour later most of the purple was gone. I was hopeful.

Saturday morning Flower’s face looked remarkable well. She had a 2-3 inch purple bruise down her cheek but it wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be. Yesterday the bruise was starting to turn black and green so I’m hoping it will lighten up by tomorrow.

Last night as the girls were getting ready for bed, Princess was bouncing around moving the herd of stuffed animals from her bed to the floor so she had room to sleep. All of the sudden she comes running into our room crying and holding her head. She fell head first on Flower’s bed and hit the side of the frame with her head. She had a big purple spot with a 3 inch horizontal welt across the left side of her forehead.

Within seconds Flower was on the scene with the ice pack. If our summer continues in this manner I’m going to need to invest in another ice pack.

It's Raining, It’s Pouring…

Days like today make me glad I am a lazy parent and don’t sign my kids up for soccer or other outdoor sports. It is 37 degrees with a steady, soaking rain. Is was raining when we went to bed last night. From the looks of the yard it has been raining all night. I love it when there are puddles of water in the ditch.

Last night was movie night. We watched Hotel for Dogs. It was cute. Dear Husband didn’t like it, but the females in the house did (including Keilie Dog). The girls didn’t take a nap yesterday because we had errands to run after music class but they made it through the movie. I wasn’t sure if Flower would but she did.

I have been debating naps lately. Princess doesn’t nap at daycare anymore and hasn’t for about a year. However by 8:00 pm during the week she is done. On the weekend Princess and I snuggle on our bed and watch HGTV. She usually falls asleep for about an hour.

Flower still takes a nap at daycare. For about the last month she has been having a really hard time falling asleep at night. However, if Flower doesn’t get a nap, by dinnertime she is a bear.

Last Friday I decided to skip nap and see what happens. Flower fell asleep at 6:45 and missed roasting marshmallows. Yesterday we skipped nap and stayed up late watching a movie. They went right to sleep and slept in this morning. It was fabulous. I am sure it was a fluke, but I’ll take it. Maybe it was the weather. It is a perfect morning to sleep late.

We have a birthday party at 5:00 this afternoon. I am thinking about skipping Flower’s nap again today since she went to bed so well last night. The downside to skipping nap might be a birthday monster. What is a mother to do?

Friday Funny

Courtesy of Princess.....

Why are frogs always happy?

Because they eat what bugs them.

Lucky

Friday night Dear Husband decided to roast marshmallows. The weather was, and still is, gorgeous and we are all ready for summer. Flower missed her nap that afternoon and she fell asleep right after dinner. I hauled her up to her bed and left her door open thinking she would wake up after a quick nap and join us. She didn’t wake up and slept for over 12 hours but I digress.

After I tucked Princess in later that night, I looked out our bathroom window to check on the fire pit. The fire was mostly out when we came inside, but we were keeping an eye on it anyway. As I looked out, I heard a strange noise I couldn’t place. It sounded like the sprinklers were on in the backyard but they were not. Our neighbor had been working in his backyard so I figured he was watering something close to the fence.

I went downstairs a few minutes later and I could still here noise from the kitchen. It was louder and sounded closer. I stuck my head out the patio door and immediately heard a spraying water noise coming from under the deck. This was not good. All the plumbing for the sprinklers is under that deck.

I called DH and he ran outside. Sure enough, the pipe next to the shut off valve for the sprinklers had broke. Luckily it was a small crack. Luckily we were home when it happened. Luckily it happened when we were awake. Luckily it happened on a warm evening when the windows were open so I could hear the water. I could go on but you get the picture.

DH did a little plumbing first thing Saturday and all is well. I have a bad case of the “What ifs”. I guess if this is the only plumbing emergency we ever have we’ll be very, very lucky.

The Bird

The girls have been taking a music class since January. It is a really cool program that teaches kids basic music skills and to play the piano. By the end of the first level they will be able to compose simple music.

The beginning level of the program is for 3 to 5 year olds. I am lazy and want to keep the girls together for any extracurricular activities as long as possible. Flower was a few months shy of 3 when we started but the teacher was willing to give it a try. Flower did pretty well and is able to play basic songs on the piano.

A large part of playing the piano is teaching your fingers to move together and separately while reading the music. We play a lot of games and sing songs that teach the kids to move their fingers separately. Those of you who play the piano know each finger has a number. The thumb is finger 1, the pointer finger is finger 2, etc.

The first two months of class we spent a lot of time moving our fingers independent of the other fingers and it was tough for Flower. She had a hard time holding finger 3 and finger 4 up individually. About a month ago she must have figured out how to move finger 3 because all of the sudden she started pointing with it. Not just once or twice, exclusively….with both hands.

I knew what she was doing and was proud of her. She had been working on moving fingers 3 and 4 for so long. She was able to use finger 3. Dear Husband was mortified. I guess it must be a daddy thing. I wasn’t bothered at all when Flower held up her middle finger to point out the window as we were driving through town. She finally mastered a difficult task so I think she should be rewarded. DH wants her to use her pointer finger. I guess we can comprise and start working on pointing with finger 4….that shouldn’t offend anyone.

Thursday Evening

Thursday evening is my favorite day/time of the week. Three days lie ahead of me and none of them include going to work. You’ll notice I didn’t say none of those days include work.

As one of my coworkers was leaving the office tonight she told me to have a nice weekend. Another coworker asked if I was taking tomorrow off. I had to give him a hard time for asking….I have been working four days a week for over two years and his office is next to mine, surely he has noticed my absence every Friday.

I love my four-day workweek. I wouldn’t trade it for anything; however, Friday is no vacation. I still get up at early, take Princess to school, come home and frantically clean house and do laundry until it is time to pick up Princess. Then we come home, have a quick lunch and rush out the door to music class. By the time we get back, sometimes after errands, I am exhausted. We usually have a nap or quiet time and watch a movie.

When I write our Friday routine it doesn’t sound like much, but somehow it wears me out. Now that summer is almost here I have a feeling my house will be neglected and hopefully the yard will look good.

Good Morning Auntie C!

This one is for you! You are right, I have been a slacker. Not sure why, just very, very unmotivated to blog.

Some of the reason is work. It has been stressful lately and by the time I get home my brain is jello and I would be unable to compose a sentence (can't even write a very good sentence when my brain is fresh).

Most of the reason I haven't posted lately is because I can't think of anything interesting to write. We are still sick and I'm sure the Internet is tired of hearing me complain (and you've already heard it too). No one wants to hear me talk about ear infections, strep, and various viruses we can't seem to shake.

I pledge to post more. I will think of something funny today and post it tonight. I am sure Flower has said or done something you will enjoy. Princess lost her second top middle tooth yesterday so she has a inch gap and looks like great grandpa. Seriously :)

Lambs

Princess's class took a field trip to a sheep ranch this morning. Flower and I tagged along. We had a great time and we got to hold a lamb. I didn't get a photo of Flower holding a lamb because I had to help her and but Mrs. F took a picture for me. Here are a couple for you.

Living with Girls

I’ve mentioned this before but the girls have picked up my perpetual morning slowness. We try to get ready for the following day before we go to bed at night in hopes to make our mornings faster. One thing we do is pick our clothes and lay them out before we go to bed.

Last night Princess couldn’t find anything to wear….partly because I left a load of clothes in the dryer, and mostly because she will only wear the same four pair of undies, socks and pants.

Dear Husband was downstairs so I called down and asked him to please get the items of clothes Princess was looking for out of the dryer and bring them upstairs. He brought up the pants and shirt Princess wanted with a pair of Flower’s undies.

I gave him a hard time for picking the smallest pair in the dryer while holding up the size 3 underwear. He headed back downstairs in search of a pair for Princess. He returned with two pair because he couldn’t tell which were the correct undies: one pair of mine and one pair of Princess’s underwear.

Princess giggled at the thought of wearing my underwear. I thanked DH for the compliment….as if my big bum would really fit in Princess’s underwear even though I know he brought them both to save himself another trip downstairs in the event he guessed wrong again. I think sorting laundry has become too much for DH now that Flower is wearing underwear….

Happy Easter!

We were at Nana and Papa's last week for dinner. As we were leaving Princess spotted a unique tumbleweed caught next to Nana's car. She said it was an umbrella and gave it to Grandma M. Grandma said she would make something with it. She wasn't kidding. Look at the centerpiece on the table, isn't this the prettiest tumbleweed you have ever seen?

There's Fizzies In My Bed

It's 12:22 AM and I am sound asleep. I am awakened by Flower crying "There's fizzies in my bed! The fizzies spilled in my bed!" What? Flower is pretty upset so I pull her up into our bed and try to clear my mind so I can make sense of what she is trying to tell me.

Me - What is in your bed?

Flower - Fizzies!!!!

Me - Fuzz, is there pieces of fuzz from your socks?

Flower - NO....FIZZIES!!!!

By this time Flower is very frustrated with me and I have absolutely no idea what she is trying to tell. Then it hits me. We stopped by our friend's house last night to play with some puppies (that's another story) and their daughter has two fish in her bedroom. The kids were feeding the fish right before we left.

Fish in her bed....Flower was dreaming about the fish....now I understand.

Disinfectant....does anyone know of a good one I can spray on every inch of our house? At least one of us has been sick for six weeks and I am tired of it.

After a second visit to the doctor a week and a half ago Flower had some fluid in her ear and ended up with antibiotics. The meds worked well until this morning when she woke up with red arms and legs with hives. At least she got nine days of the antibiotics and her cough is gone.

Princess also had ten days of antibiotics for strep and within three days of finishing them, she started to cough. The cough is relentless. Dear Husband had it, I had it, and now Princess has it bad. We saw the doctor this morning and she did not think the strep was back. Unfortunately Princess refused to open her mouth for a throat swab to be sure. I was not pleased. The nurse was very, very patient with us. But, like the doctor said, if it is strep we will be back in two days so there was no use tormenting her.

As if this wasn't enough, I picked up a stomach bug and was sick all weekend. I'm finally feeling better today. We went to the school carnival Friday night so I am blaming it on that....although it was worth it, the girls had a blast. DH and I were reminiscing the Fun Night we had as kids and much to our delight the carnival was very similar. Cakewalk, fishing pond, beanbag toss, duck pond....

Keilie Dog finishes up her antibiotics this week. We removed her splint last week but she still isn't putting much weight on the infected leg. The staph ate three different bones in her ankle joint and the surrounding ligaments so we might have to get a brace to support her ankle. On the bright side, at least we caught the staph infection before it did serious damage, if you know what I mean.

I'm losing steam and that's all I can think of for now so I'll sign off. Happy spring and healthy thoughts!

Happy Green Patrick’s Day!

St. Patrick’s Day is here and spring is just around the corner. In case you haven’t noticed, I have not had much motivation to blog lately. I would like to say it is because we have been really busy, but that would be lying. Flower picked up a nasty cold last month and we just keep passing it around so I am blaming my lack of ambition on this virus.

February was filled with birthday parties, which lead to the previously mentioned cold virus. Flower and Dear Husband had it first, and then Princess and I picked it up at the end of the month. At the same time Princess got strep throat. She is over the strep, but still fighting the cold. Flower is finally on the road to recovery so I am feeling very optimistic that we will have a healthy spring. The weather is gorgeous and we are done being sick.

Last week we celebrated Flower’s birthday. I’ll post some photos soon. We are still working on potty training and Flower seems to be doing pretty well….at home. Daycare is a different story. Sigh.

Princess has been preparing for a leprechaun to visit her classroom today so we have been talking about St. Patrick’s Day a lot lately. I looked all over town for a shirt that Princess could wear today and had no luck finding something green that she will wear. I guess I should have been Irish, I could have really used some luck. Every place we went Flower wanted to know if she could get a green shirt too….and I could not find anything in her size either.

Last weekend we took a road trip to GF for lunch and shopping. We found a t-shirt for Flower at Old Navy and she was ecstatic. All week Flower has been talking about wearing her new green shirt on Green Patrick’s Day. She is driving Princess crazy because she refuses to say St. Patrick’s Day, but hey, isn’t that what little sisters are suppose to do?

Keilie Dog Update

Just a quick update on Keilie dog. Our vet called me on Friday to see how she was doing. We decided she had not progressed as much as needed. Our vet wanted to see her again so I dropped her off at the clinic while the girls and I went to music class.

The infected joint looks much better from the outside, but it's still very painful and Keilie won't put any weight on it. That's not a good sign.

The vet decided to add yet another antibiotic to her cocktail to make sure she covers all the bases. Fortunately the lab culture results came back and now we know exactly what strain of staph we are dealing with and the new antibiotic should do the trick.

Keilie dog is eating and drinking again so that is a good sign. She is still not putting any weight on the infected leg so now we run the risk of damaging the surgical leg. Big sigh.

We have resumed carrying Keilie around again and using a sling under her hind quarters when she needs to walk. Our vet wants another report tomorrow morning so I am hoping Keilie will try to walk on the infected leg today or we are going back to the vet tomorrow.

In other news, Flower is still coughing, but not acting sick so she is on the mend. Dear Husband still has the cold but says he is feeling much better. Princess and I came down with Flower's cold Thursday. I got the "typical" cold stuff, cough, congestion, sore throat. Princess developed a fever, body aches, sore throat and headache yesterday. She is a little better this morning but last night was miserable....for both of us.

Keilie Dog....Again

Ok. So I just read Homestead's post today and what I am about to write seems almost trivial. Sweet Boy is already giving his mama gray hair and he is only five.

Keilie dog went back to the vet today for a follow-up. When they removed her splint it was still swollen and very warm. The vet said there are only two causes; trauma or infection. Since Dear Husband has been carrying Keilie around for the past 6 weeks due to the knee surgery we could rule out trauma. The radio graph confirmed there were no fractures. That left infection.

Septic joint. Ankle joint to be exact. The vet is perplexed. A bacterial infection in this joint is very rare, especially in a dog who has only been outside to do her business twice a day with a chaperon for the past two months.

A sample went to the hospital lab for analysis. Keilie dog had minor emergency surgery this morning to drain/scrape the infection. We have 20 days of a two high power antibiotics. Hopefully they will do their job quickly.

We Don’t Know What Happened

Remember this? We are almost 6 weeks post-surgery. I thought we were on the road to recovery and now there’s this.



In case you are wondering, Keilie dog's back right knee was repaired last month. Unfortunately I'm not taking this photo in a mirror.

Keilie dog was fine last night. She was fine when she went to sleep. She woke up this morning and couldn’t walk.

The vet isn't exactly sure what's wrong. A multitude of x-rays later and it may be a dislocated knee. Our regular vet is out of town and the vet we saw today doesn’t do a lot of orthopedic stuff. She decided to splint it and re-evaluate next week.

In order to splint Keilie dog’s leg and get a decent x-ray she had to sedate her. Now we have a stoned dog with two bum legs.

I’ve said this before and I'll say it again. It’s a good thing we love this dog.

Plan B

On Friday I neglected to mention my post was plan A for the weekend. Saturday morning we went to plan B.

Princess got sick and puked all over around 2:30 AM so I was having second thoughts about our trip to begin with. Then Nana called when I was in the shower to tell us Auntie A’s water broke and they were on their way to the hospital. So we cancelled our reservations and went over to Nana’s to wait for the news.

Baby A and Baby B were born around 11:40 AM on Saturday….13 more hours and we could have shared our birthday. I’ll have to have a little talk with them about the importance of timing when they get older.

The babies and Auntie A are all doing well, although we still don’t know their names yet. If Auntie A and Uncle L don’t hurry up and decide we will forever call them Baby A and Baby B.

We got photos last night. They are two beautiful babies. Princess and I have been looking at the photos and wishing we were there to hold them.

So we’ve had a quiet weekend. Princess and I went to a birthday party for her friend yesterday afternoon and then did some shopping for the babies. Flower and Daddy stayed home because Flower isn’t feeling the best. We keep thinking it’s just a matter of time before she’s puking too.

Today we are hanging around in our pjs. It is snowing this morning so maybe we’ll get the x-country skis out and rebuild our snowman. If you have today off, enjoy!

Friday Again

Where did the week go? This week was a blur to me. Nana was out of town all week and so was Dear Husband (just during the day) so I was in charge. I am very grateful for all the help I get from everyone and this week was just another reminder.

DH took Princess to school this morning so Flower and I are doing fun things like vacuuming. This afternoon we have music class and tonight Grandma and Grandpa are spending the night on their way through town.

Tomorrow DH and I are heading out of town for the weekend. A co-worker if DH’s is getting married so we decided to make a weekend trip out of it. The girls are going to spend the weekend with Nana and Papa. They are very excited about a sleepover at Nana and Papa’s house.

Keilie dog will spend the weekend being pampered at the animal clinic, which provides boarding. When I called to make her reservation a couple weeks ago the receptionist immediately recognized her….which I guess is good since we’ve sunk enough money into the clinic to get a wing named after us.

The receptionist starting typing to see what was available this weekend and was disappointed that only small kennels were available. She thought Keilie would prefer a large kennel (seriously, I’m on the other end of the phone in silence wondering how she knew this). She began typing again and told me she would do some rearranging and move a smaller dog so Keilie could have a large kennel. I thanked her, what else could I say?

Now I need to go get this place in shape so we can leave. DH “loves” it when I make him clean before we leave :) Have a great weekend!

After I thought about my prior post, I said forget the list and we went outside to play.

One of Those Days

Do you ever have one of those days when you have a list of things you need to do that is a mile long but you have absolutely no ambition to do anything? I think I am having one of those days.

First of all, I always have long list. I don’t have as many lists as Homestead, but I admit I’m a “lister” also. I imagine my list will end when I meet my maker, and not a day sooner.

Today I am blaming my lack of motivation on Dear Husband. He took yesterday off and that put a wrench in my schedule because it felt like Saturday. My usual Friday schedule is take Princess to school, come home and clean the floors (and maybe a bathroom if I’m moving really fast), pick Princess up from school, home for lunch, off to music class right after lunch, and then home again to crash because by then I am absolutely exhausted.

Yesterday DH took Princess to school and went to the office for a bit. Did you catch that? He took the day off but still went to work. Someone needs to explain the meaning of a day off to DH. Then he picked up Flower and I so we could run some errands before picking Princess up from school.

After school we went to Costco. If anyone needs anything from Costco go today. They are having Super Demo days and we ate so many samples we were too full to eat lunch. Then we headed home, dropped off the Costco stuff and DH, and the girls and I headed to music class. By the time we got home I didn’t feel like doing anything productive so I vegged on the couch.

Now I am avoiding a pile of laundry and a dirty floor. I do have to point out one positive thing about Keilie dog’s knee surgery. The floor stays much cleaner when she has to be chaperoned to go outside. So, I guess I’ll sign off, go read the newspaper, and start a load of laundry. Happy Saturday everyone and may you find motivation to do whatever makes you happy today.

He Reads My Mind

Last fall I wanted some brown shoes. I have a pair of brown pants that are too short to wear with my “every day” brown shoes because they have a small heel. I was looking for a pair of suede or leather casual shoes that were comfortable for walking but dressy enough to wear to work with slacks.

My co-worker had a pair from Lands End that I really liked and at the end of the summer they were on sale. I ordered a pair in my size and they were huge. I thought about exchanging them for a smaller size but they were very wide and probably wouldn’t have fit anyway.

So I gave up on the brown shoes. Wednesday I needed some moisturizer so I ran over to the mall. On my way to the cosmetic counter I noticed a horde of women in the shoe department. I heard someone say they were having a 70% of sale on last season’s shoes. I made a quick detour by the rack with shoes my size.

I saw a really cute pair of brown shoes and I wanted to try them on but didn’t have time. I’m trying to cut back on the impulse buying, although I could have got around that because I’ve been “shopping” for brown shoes for months so I don’t think it would qualify as an impulse item….right?

I picked up my moisturizer and headed back to work. I didn’t think about the brown shoes again.

Last night when I got home from work the girls met me at the door with an early birthday gift. Dear Husband had ordered something he wanted me to try on in case it was the wrong size and needed to be exchanged.

I opened the gift and to my delight were the exact same brown shoes I saw at the mall. Even though I give DH a hard time for never listening to me, deep down I know he really does pay attention.

Goodbye 1989

I need to clean out my closet. Homestead and I have discussed this over the years. She is a much better purger than I.

When I got home tonight Flower followed me upstairs to change my clothes. She looked in my closet and pulled out an old swimsuit. I wore that suit in high school. I loved that swimsuit. It was the first, and one of the only, swimsuits that has ever fit properly. It is over 20 years old. Why do I still have it in my closet? It's two (or more) sizes too small and 1989 neon pink.

Flower asked me what it was. I told her it was an old swimsuit that is too small. She gave me a confused look and told me to throw it in the garbage. So we did. If she was a couple feet taller I would have her go through my other closet.

Painting the Playroom

Princess: Daddy, can I paint?

Princess: Daddy, can I paint?

Princess: Daddy, it doesn't look that hard, why can't I paint?

Princess: Daddy, can I paint now?

Princess: Daddy, why can't I paint?

Princess: PLEASE!!!!!

Princess's pleading continued for what seemed like forever so Daddy finally gave in and let her paint the small wall between the door and the closet. She was ecstatic. We painted this color in case you are wondering and it turned out very nice. Daddy is a fantastic painter.

Road Trip

Last Friday the girls and I headed north to visit Grandma, Grandpa, Great Grandma, Great Grandpa, and Great Great Aunt E. There were a lot of greats in that sentence.

Grandpa had surgery on his foot two weeks ago so we thought he might need some entertainment. Flower was perfect for the job.

No more than 30 minutes after we arrived Flower was unpacking our bag to find her blanket and woof-woof. She covered Grandpa up with her blanket and tucked him in with woof-woof. Wouldn't it be nice if everything could be made better with a soft blanket and stuffed animal?

Flower spent the weekend following Grandpa around the house with his bag of ice and pillow. She checked on him every so often to make sure he was OK. Flower was on a mission to make sure Grandpa was without a want. I think nursing may be in her future.

We had a nice weekend. We hung around the house, went out for lunch, and raided Great Grandma’s stash of cookies. Uncle S and Aunt S came for dinner and brought microwave popcorn (in a bucket since the theatre is closed for the winter) and sweetest (Swedish) fish.

As I type the snow is falling and it’s a bit chilly. I’m glad I decided to take a road trip last weekend.

Bad Blogger

Auntie C just reminded me I haven't posted anything in two weeks. Oops. I've thought about it. I have lots of stories bouncing around in my head to share, but no motivation.

Work has been unbelievably busy for the last two months. My office is never...slow, boring, dull...pick your favorite adjective, but lately busy has taken on a entirely new meaning.

Then there is all the other stuff. A baby shower, painting Flower's old bedroom and making it a playroom, Keilie dog's knee surgery, a road trip to the north country, music class, etc. I have stories....I'll try to compose something post-worthy.

The Miracle Morning

Yesterday I had a lot of stops to make on the way to work. Drop Flower off at daycare, Keilie dog at the vet, and take Princess to school. Dear Husband has been out of town all week so I’ve been on my own.

My alarm was set for 5:15 AM because I am the slowest person in the world when it comes to getting ready in the morning. Auntie C can attest to this. I don’t know why I am so slow, but I have been that way since I can remember. I prepare and pack as many things as possible the night before and it still takes me almost two hours to get myself and the girls up and out the door in the morning. Why am I telling you this? Because I needed to leave the house by 7:15 AM yesterday morning and I could not be late.

I heard the girls’ bedroom door open yesterday morning. I heard their footsteps and the rattle of woof-woof. I didn’t move or open my eyes because it was not 5 AM yet, or so I thought. Flower came to my side of the bed and asked to get in with me. As I prepared to shoo both of the girls back to their own beds I opened my eyes and looked at my clock.

The last two digits said 16 and my first thought was “My alarm was set to go off one minute ago, I wonder why it didn’t?” Then I saw the digit preceding the 16. It was a six. OMG!!!

I shot out of bed, put the girls our my bed, turned on cartoons, and ran for the shower. Refer to paragraph one. It takes two hours to get us out the door and I have less than one hour. If that doesn’t get your blood pumping I don’t know what will.

To make a long story short, we made it. We left the house at 7:20 AM, only five minutes behind schedule. The girls ate breakfast in the pickup, which we do quite often. I didn’t get any coffee so I felt like a walking zombie after the adrenaline wore off, but overall we did really well.

Today I have been asking myself why does it take me two hours every morning to do what should only take one hour?

Keilie Dog

Well, she has done it again. I am beginning to think Keilie dog has a deal with our vet and she's getting kickbacks for every surgical procedure.

Keilie was scheduled for knee surgery today. In case you are counting, this will be her fifth surgery since Flower was born. FedEx didn't deliver the screws the vet needed to repair her knee this morning. Keilie spent the day at the clinic. Surgery was rescheduled for Tuesday.

Vacation Is Over

Every year I get this depressed feeling on the first Sunday in January. Why, you ask? Because I have been off work for almost two weeks and tomorrow it's back to the salt mines.

Last year we had all the Christmas decorations put away and all the gifts tucked away in their new homes. For some reason this year we weren't as organized. Part of the reason is due to the nature of our gifts. For example, I received a new set of dishes. They are awesome and I love them. However, they are significantly larger than our old dishes so putting them away required a minor kitchen makeover.

I mentioned the girls are now sharing a room. This also took some reorganization which will be in progress for a while. The necessities like beds are done, but I still need to figure out where to keep all their clothes.

Today Dear Husband and I are driving the crib and changing table over to Auntie A's in-laws so they can take them to CO for the new babies. As we were loading up the furniture this morning I told DH I am excited to get an entire new room to house the tons of toys we seem to have accumulated. I think the girls will enjoy a new play room too. Maybe I can talk DH into painting next weekend :)

Keep Up with the Jones'

Apparently Princess didn't want to be outdone by her little sister. She woke up with red itchy eyes New Years day. By lunchtime they were getting goopy. At least I have some drops leftover from Flower and we have a couple days before school starts again.

Hello 2010

I am going to start the New Year right and post something. I am sitting at the counter enjoying a cup of tea while looking around at the mess. There is a dead reindeer at my feet (Flower says it ran into another reindeer and died), My Little Pony pieces scattered about, a very sad dog laying at the top of the stairs, and random piles of Christmas decorations that need to be put away.

We spent the morning drinking coffee and watching the Rose Parade. The floats are amazing. The girls headed to the basement to jump on the trampoline. I have not been down to survey the mess yet and plan to ignore it....for today.

Princess woke up a bit congested this morning and her eyes are looking a little "off". I am not sure if she is getting pink eye or not. I guess we will see what the day brings.

Flower moved into Princess's bedroom two nights ago. She woke up twice each night but other than that things are going well. The first night it took them almost an hour to go to sleep. Last night they were very tired and went to sleep in less than ten minutes. I'm sure it was just a fluke.

We are planning to hang around the house today. Dear Husband and I might go skiing tonight with some friends. We are bringing in the new year in our usual quiet way.