Attack!

First, the little one with long beautiful eyelashes tries to distract me with his good looks and sweet chitter chatter.

And then...

Ka-Pow! They both attack.

Body slam her!

Do it again!

Ha ha ha...we gotchya mom!

(As a side note, A didn't like the fact that I put "girl" hats on the boys and took pictures. Oh, well. The kids tend to share just about everything around here.)

Past Few Weeks

During the past few weeks, the boys have had about 2 dozen collisions with each other, the floor, or furniture that resulted in split lips or bleeding gums. My reaction is getting less and less dramatic.

She got me.

Mom...I have a tutu around my neck! Help!

Strongest Girl Competition 2009

O has always been larger around than W, but now he has about 2 inches in height.

W finally gets his upper two teeth, but one came down much faster. He's a little snaggletooth.

First pair of shoes (size 2) thanks to a friend of ours who gave us quite a bundle of boy clothes.

Playing outside, fighting over a ball.

Laughing...good to be outside in the cool breeze and sunshine.

The Cabinet

E's old stompin' grounds...the bottom cabinet. The boys are now interested and she has a secret plan.

Come here boys...come on...come with me...let's play together...come on...good boy...

Ha ha...she's luring one unsuspecting baby into her trap.

And shut the door. He's trapped. Her plan worked out beautifully. W now stays clear.

Sleeping Babies

My heart just melts when I see my babies sleep.

Mr. All Over The Crib

Mr. Finger Sucker

Miss I Must Be With My Friends

He's also Mr. Blanket Boy

Or I just laugh.

Exhausted

All friends are in pj's and tucked in.

He's so funny.

What Now?

Things were going pretty smoothly for awhile after VomitFest 2009. Everyone seemed to be staying happy and healthy...wow, I know. Things were looking up. Notice I'm using past tense.

Happy:
Well, E has been transitioning out of naps for a couple months. She rarely takes one these days. But to be safe we have continued to put a pull up on her because we never know when she'll decide to take a little snooze. She's been dry all day every day for who knows how long until recently. Why? Well, we taught E to stay in her room during "Quiet Time". So, we're assuming she thought she couldn't come out to use the bathroom. Since then we have told her several times that she can use the bathroom during "Quiet Time", she just needs to tell us so we can help her. So far so good.

Another explanation for the accidents could be that she got so caught up in her play and then oops, too late. I'll go cry in the corner until Mom comes. This explanation is a big maybe. She's always been really good about stopping play to go to the bathroom. Whether she's dancing, putting friends to bed, watching tv, or eating, she stops to use the bathroom.

For the past couple weeks she has been going through another phase where she likes to dress, undress and redress herself...a million times a day. This doesn't seem to tire her...only me...because she is always in need of assistance at some point. It's usually a given when you hear spontaneous screaming, crying, and kicking on the floor that she can't get a shirt on correctly. Either that or one of her brothers is pulling her hair. Then she usually appears with a shirt, asking for help.

She has even attempted to wear the boys' clothes. Yeah...."the word on the street is struggle." This is usually when Baby E is here, not our 3 year old E. She has several personalities, voices, and behaviors. The main 3 are E, Baby E, and Mommy E. Sometimes I am corrected as to whom I am speaking, although most times it's pretty obvious who is here. E is just E. Baby E mimics the boys, cries, wants a bottle, and can't talk. Mommy E takes care of Baby E and she is always calling for dinner in a distant voice.

Healthy:
Anyway, back to my "everyone staying healthy" comment. It's me, again. What's wrong with me? Maybe I need to exercise more or something. But I was carrying O on Sunday when I squatted down to greet E and her new creation from Primary. Someone was behind me and inching towards me, not knowing I was there. I leaned forward and pulled myself up. That did it. That simple movement pulled what feels like every muscle in my back. I then carried both boys out to the van and buckled all the kids. My back was killing me. I haven't been able to do much of anything since then. Do you know how hard it is to care for three little ones without moving your back? Uh...the answer would be hard...really, really hard.

Girl Scout Cookies Anyone?

Majority of America is a fan of Girl Scout Cookies...the tiny boxes that hold enormous goodness. Growing up, my mom would buy these occasionally from a co-worker, who was selling them for her daughter. Even though my mom bought a box or two, we always complained over the high price we had to pay for only a few cookies. But it's hard to resist those Girl Scout Cookies, especially the Thin Mints and Samoas...mmmm, my favorite. For a lot of people, it's just hard to resist the actual Girl Scout who works hard to sell her cookies...it's rare, I know. It's been years since I've seen an actual little girl selling them. It's basically the adults hounding you to buy them. Back to Girl Scouts...years ago was the last time I had one approach my door to sell her cookies and I moaned. I didn't want to be rude. I didn't want to spend $4 for about 12 cookies. I opened the door and it was my 6 year old neighbor with her mom proudly standing on the sidewalk. I wanted to stick to my guns, just say no, I didn't need them....and that's when I heard it. The tiny purple box of Samoas screaming my name, just begging to be eaten. I tried to resist, asked a few dumb questions in order to stall while I had an inner struggle. The carmely Samoas were relentless...chanting, taunting me. I caved and bought a box. Never again I pledged. And I haven't.

I believe the sale is over in most places by now. The temptation has subsided. However, just thinking of those Samoas makes my mouth water. It's a good thing I found this site. It has recipes for homemade Girl Scout Cookies. Hooray!! Enjoy!

Sick ...Again

It seems like we have been sick since November. Is that possible? It really has been off and on. But since January, we just keep catching every cold, flu bug, or virus that comes near. It's so frustrating. I've never used so much Lysol and anti-bacterial wipes in such a short amount of time before. Nor have I done so much laundry!

This past ordeal was with the Noro Virus...not pretty. I thought I was going to die. I'll spare you much of the details.

The kids first received colds after playing with their cousins. So we had three snot nosed coughers. W then brought the first signs of the disastrous virus into the home a few days after church. He threw up in bed and experienced his first blow out. Oh no...wash everything, hopefully it doesn't spread. The next day, I'm casually making dinner. Hmmm...my stomach doesn't feel so great. After dinner...my enchilada is really not sitting well with me. Seconds after A leaves for Scouting, I hit the bathroom with excessive speed. Not good...this is not good. I put E to bed almost an hour early and started to get the boys ready. It was difficult to do when every 10 minutes I'm sprinting to the bathroom.

By the time A got home, I could barely stand from the fatigue. He was shocked to see me so sick as he poured me some juice. Yum...fantastic juice...White Grape Peach juice. Too bad I couldn't keep it down. But on a positive note, we have now found a remedy to freshen the smell of vomit. Drink White Grape Peach juice! It makes a world of difference.

My sweet husband helped me upstairs and ran a bath for me. It was about midnight and as I'm soaking, E woke with fright. Yip...she threw up. Daddy put her in the bath as I washed her bed sheets. We heard coughing from the boys room and then throwing up. Our nightmare had begun.

We made a little towel bed for E on our bedroom floor. She had a special bucket just for her, which we had to teach her how to use. She was so scared to throw up and it took a lot of convincing to get her to throw up in the bucket rather than swallow it. Ewww...gross, I know.

A took the next 2 days off. His entire family was stricken with a gut bombing virus! It was a rough night to say the least. E and I were chattin' it up with the toilet and special bucket all night. So, the next day wasn't much better. O threw up two more times, but the boys mostly suffered from diarrhea...one explosion after another. Only one out of four people over here could make it to the bathroom...the washing machine was constantly going. Everyone's bed linens (kids' linens 4-5 times), every towel we own, several movie watching blankets, and 3-4 outfits from each child each day, and several outfits from us because what child can resist puking or pooping on mom and dad...yeah, a ton of laundry.

So, everyone but A was on a clear liquid diet, little sips at a time, which was so hard when your babies are crying for food. E cried as she literally begged us for eggs all day long. Poor A almost lost it. His stomach began to rumble half way through the day, so he took a break and napped. I think we all napped off and on throughout the day. It was strange. Thank goodness A never got sick.

By day 2 we thought the worst had passed, after all, the virus claims a 48 hour life alteration. We fed E bits of cracker, pretzels, and applesauce. For dinner, I thought we could handle a little bit of chicken noodle soup. We were gravely mistaken as she woke screaming. Before reaching E's door, A knew she had thrown up again as he hears her say to herself, "It's ok E, it's ok...Mommy and Daddy will come clean you up." As Daddy washed her in the bath, I scooped vomit out of the entire top half of her bed. Not only did I have to wash everything on her bed, but also about three feet of her wall which was sprayed. Not pretty...

The boys continued to have disastrous explosions out the backside and we were getting worried. O could spare a few lost pounds, but poor W was way too skinny. We knew they weren't dehydrated, but they weren't drinking much. We were working on day 3 and 4 here. We consulted a health clinic and found we were doing fine. If the boys didn't improve in a few days, we needed to take them to see the doctor. Thankfully, within a few more days they were wearing clean shorts, eating better, and playing more like themselves. E was also back to herself. They still had colds, but hey, I'd rather wipe runny noses any day! A was back at work and I was 10 pounds lighter and still doing laundry.

We took lots of baths.

A family picture was taken during our near death experience. We were all in bed. We looked rough. Here's E putting on a brave face.

Things we learned and are helpful:

1. Drink White Grape Peach juice- you will be so grateful
2. Flushable wipes are a necessity
3. Waterproof wherever a sick child sits or sleeps
4. Have plenty of movies
5. Lysol and/or Antibacterial Wipes and bleach to aid in cleaning and killing bacteria
6. A fan to help with nausea and clear unpleasant vapors quickly
7. Oxi Clean will remove any stubborn stain
8. Don't believe a 3 year old when she says she feels better

We followed this from a doctor:
Guidelines for Eating & Drinking
1. After vomiting, do not eat or drink anything for 1 to 2 hours.
2. Next 2 hours: sips every 10 minutes.
3. Next 2 hours: increase sipping.
4. Next 2 hours, drink fluids at will.
5. After above liquids are tolerated, you may progress to the following:
~Dry toast (no butter), cheerios, pretzels, saltine crackers.
~Dilute juices (1/2 water:1/2 juice)
~Plain baked potato, rice, plain pasta
~Chicken noodle soup
If vomiting recurs at any step, go back to step #1.

And this:
PROGRESSIVE BLAND DIET EXAMPLE
Day 1... of Diarrhea or Vomiting (first 24 hours)
Drink Clear Liquids at room temperature:
• Sports Drinks (i.e. Powerade/Gatorade)
• Weak Tea (decaffeinated)
• Jello
• Non-Caffeinated sodas – flat sodas are best (7-Up, Sprite, Gingerale)
Day 2 … Slowly add bland foods in SMALL amounts as you can tolerate throughout the day.
Examples:
• Oatmeal or Cream of Wheat
(instant microwavable or regular made with water, not milk)
• Dry Cereal (no milk) (i.e. cheerios, corn flakes)
• Plain Rice or Pasta (no butter, oil, or sauces)
• Crackers or Pretzels
• Gingersnaps
• Plain Toast (no butter or jelly)
• Mashed Potatoes (no skins)
• Bananas (best if ripe)
• Apple Sauce & Canned Fruits (i.e. pears, peaches)
• Chicken noodle soup
Day 3… Gradually add more variety of foods in smaller more frequent meals evenly spaced throughout the day.
Examples:
• Soft boiled eggs or scrambled eggs
• Plain Baked Potato
• Fish or Chicken (no skin) well-cooked, baked or grilled (not fried)
• Plain or Vanilla Yogurt
• Cottage cheese
• Cooked Carrots or Green beans
• Milk - consume skim or low-fat milk after diarrhea has stopped.

Big Snow

We had our first decent snow at the beginning of February. By the time E and I got to the backyard, it had quickly started to melt. But it was still exciting. We're big fans of occasional snow. Despite our colds, we ventured out.

The boys didn't like being left behind.

Welcome March! March brought us a well deserved rain shower that turned into a fabulous snow storm. We were so excited. Reports were coming in about possible inches of snow and it kept climbing up to 5-10 inches. (Granted people, this is NC. We don't get good snows very often. Utah people are laughing I'm sure). Well, we got it! We got about 6 inches of beautiful snow. Now since it rained first we were concerned about losing power, so before the snow arrived, I got out our candles, had plenty of clothes out for the kids to bundle up, and gathered plenty of food to munch.

Look at her...she likes snow... I was surprised she stayed out for a couple hours.

We had the brilliant idea to use our laundry basket to sled down our backyard slopes. Daddy was getting a good workout pulling everyone around. E had a good time with her friend from up the street.

The boys came out this time. After several layers of clothes, sleepers, and big sister apparel, they were ready.

Since we were still sick, they weren't out too long.

Daddy even pulled me along and I was surprised at how fast we got. It reminded me of snow tubing when I was younger. But I soon found out Daddy's intentions...sharp turn and splat...right into the snow!

Thanks A!

Here's A about to take his turn down the slope. Our neighbor did the honors.

Now it's over...completely melted and Spring is on the way here. I think it's supposed to be 70 tomorrow. Ahh...that was a fun day. However, nothing like the week of snow fun we had back in January of 2000. THAT was awesome. I was back at school and we got hit with about 22 inches of snow. How could I be snowed in and not see A? Well, my sweet and daring fiance came to my rescue. Armed with snow boots, a shovel, and a trunk full of sand and mulch, he whisked me away to his parents house where we stayed snowed in for a week of wood burning fires, snowman building, hot chocolate drinking and movie watching. Now that was a good snow storm.

Be My Valentine

After sleeping in on Valentine's Day, E and A woke me up with a pink heart. Written upon the heart was a clever poem from my hubby, which led me on a treasure hunt through the house and solving clues along the way. It was fun and the poems were humorous and very touching. At the end, I found one of my favorite candy bars, which I haven't had in years...a king size Whatchamacallit. I love my hubby. You know...I think I can make a homemade version of that bar. That way we can spread the love all year long. I'll have to experiment.
E and I made Daddy a vase full of heart shaped flowers for his office. We cut hearts into potatoes and stamped them onto a grocery bag. Cut them out. Threw in some pipe cleaner and buttons. Arranged flowers. Ta-da! He loved them.

February Recap

What an exhausting month! We have been so preoccupied with other things that I haven't had time to blog. It seems we have experienced much more than 28 days of growth, new tasks, snowstorms, and sickness. What a month...

Let's see...for W (at 10 months) he has been walking for the past month and loves his ability to walk and carry toys at the same time. He has also been talking a lot more with "daddy" being his favorite word. He is still a very picky eater. He wears 6-9 month clothes and refuses to wear socks. He enjoys playing catch and peek-a-boo. He's an extreme screamer...shattering glass screamer. It's lovely when big sister mimics him...over and over.

O has been amazing everyone by how quickly he's attempting to do new things. He tries to copy just about everything E and W do. As a result, he harms himself several times a day. But at the age of 7 months, not only can he crawl, but he can pull up on anything, maneuver himself through chair and table legs, climb stairs, and walks on his legs with his hands still on the ground. He wears 12-18 month clothes. He will eat anything in sight. He's my IRobot Roomba.

E has been extremely sensitive and emotional this month. We've had a lot of meltdowns. She's phasing herself out of a nap and it's not going well. However, we've had lots of hugs, kisses, and expressions of gratitude from E. She's telling stories, coloring pictures, and has been pretty excellent playing quietly while the boys sleep. She's been doing really well staying dry through the night. Her favorite shape right now is the triangle . She likes to make them out of the food she eats and then count the sides and corners.

Other fun things this month:

Lots of basket rides through the living room, which includes several pillow "bumps" to slide over or sometimes fly over.

Lots of blanket rides...very funny to see who can stay on the longest.

Cousin Laurel came to play.

First time shopping. Of course it was Costco because of the wonderful 2 seater cart.

Several baths for the boys, whether they liked it or not.

She let me braid her hair for the first time.

E decided she didn't want to sleep in her bed for a few nights. She made her own bed on the floor and slept there with some friends.

During "nap time" E has been dressing herself with whatever she can find. It's pretty normal to find her with 4-6 layers of clothes on.

Tons of brotherly love.

Tag!

The "Devil's Tag" is circulating! Heather tagged me and since it's easy and quick, I have no excuse but to play. Plus, I was interested in what picture I would find. Hi Heather!

1. Go to my documents/pictures.

2. Go to my 6th file folder.

3. Go to my 6th picture.

4. Blog about it.

5. Tag 6 people to do the same.



This is from E's file. E received a children's digital camera for Christmas and it quickly became one of her favorite toys. We decided to save some pictures because they were just too funny. She takes a million photos, so we only upload occasionally. This is the 6th photo...a picture of her blocks on Christmas morning....but it ended up being more of a picture of her foot.

Here's another gem.

I tag Jamie, Lauren, Shena, Lacey, Erika, and Suzanne.

99 Things

I saw this on a blog and I thought I'd play along...

Here are the rules: Bold the things you’ve done and post on your blog!

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars (on a trampoline...a Utah thing to do... haha)
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower (very cool)
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland (and DisneyWorld)
8. Climbed a mountain (Blue Ridge and Hanging Rock count, right? They were mtns. to me)
9. Held a praying mantis (and kissed a Banana Slug)
10. Sang a solo (several plays and at church...I won't do that again)
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea (with my uncle in Florida)
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child (I've got 3!)
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables (thanks to A)
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort (complete with tunnels in the front yard while living in Utah)
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community (not a big one- a few farms and a community store)
36. Taught yourself a new language (I started learning sign language, but it's hard to keep up with if you don't use it everyday)
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight (several times with my hubby)
46. Been transported in an ambulance (I was sandwiched between 2 cars in college)
47. Had your portrait painted (I've had a caricature drawn of me)
48. Gone deep sea fishing (I was with my uncle in Florida)
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling (snorkeling on the corral reef off the Florida coast)
52. Kissed in the rain (and the snow)
53. Played in the mud (when I was little...lots of mud pies)
54. Gone to a drive-in theater (as a teenager...that was fun...did we even watch the movie?)
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business (no, but helped my sister with her business)
58. Taken a martial arts class - does kickboxing count?
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy (several)
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial (had a blast with a bunch of friends...remember Jeff going into "labor" on the street corner? Ha ha!!)
71. Eaten Caviar (yuk)
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square (flew to NYC with a friend to shop for the day...great fun)
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London (no, but I've seen the changing of guards at The Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery)
77. Broken a bone (my right hand...horrible experience)
78. Been a passenger on a motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person (and almost ran off a cliff to my death...I was little)
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Redwoods (amazing and beautiful)
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper (winning track events, school plays, and modeling school clothes for Nordstom)
85. Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year’s Eve
86. Visited the White House (I've stood in front of it. Does that count?)
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (My dad has...several times)
88. Had chickenpox (severe case- covered head to toe, inside and out, and I was delirious... screaming for my mom as she was caring for me)
89. Saved someone’s life (I've given away a few BOM's...hahaha)
90. Sat on a jury (Sooooo boring. Thank goodness it didn't last long)
91. Met someone famous (Tomie de Paola, Orson Scott Card, Elder Oaks...Oh and Aaron Johnston! ;) I've seen a lot more people than I've met)
92. Joined a book club (didn't last long)
93. Got a tattoo
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone (emergencies only)
99. Been stung by a bee (ouch!)

Who wants to play?

Cinderella

No...it was not my idea to have E watch Cinderella. I knew she would be emotional. I knew someone would have to sit with her and talk her through the entire movie, explaining every action and making tense moments lighthearted.

When E was not quite 2, she saw a small clip of Winnie The Pooh for the first time. She was curious... she smiled. Unfortunately, it so happened to be the scene where either Pooh or Tigger fell out of a tree. She began screaming and crying instantaneously, pointing to the screen, and running to me. I tried to explain and show her that he was ok, but she was so upset and didn't want anything to do with the movie anymore. She spent the next few days asking if he was ok. Obviously, that event altered her world.

I decided she would not see movies any time soon, which was more than fine. We started watching little shows like Sesame Street, Barney, or Mr. Roger's Neighborhood. All shows I felt she could handle. Well, we still had episodes of grief or fright. Just a few examples are as follows: Baby Bear got caught in a net, Grover fell from the sky, Elmo fell off his bike, Baby Bop was sad and cried, a ball was thrown and broke a toy, Lady Elaine got lost, and a strong wind blew everyone around in the neighborhood. (As a side note, I love Mr. Rogers'. I thoroughly enjoyed watching this show with E. Yes, it was dated, but excellent programming for young children.)

So, when gathering with family and friends it can be somewhat difficult to avoid a movie being shown to the kids. Sometimes we can distract the little ones with something else, but other times...hmmm...it's tricky, especially if the adults are busy doing something and can't narrate the movie for E in order to avoid an emotional outburst and days of recalling the events that upset her.

So many people think I exaggerate the magnitude of E's sensitivity.

When we were visiting with family, Cinderella was the movie of choice. Was there anything in Cinderella that could upset her? I quickly scanned the movie in my head and thought that the stepmother could be frightening to her. So I decided against it. While I was playing a game, Cinderella started anyway and it was within minutes that we heard the wails from down the hall. Come to find out, the cat was chasing the mouse. You see people? I'm not exaggerating. Grandma was kind enough to sit with her for the entire movie, explaining everything. Thanks Grandma. There were no lasting effects from the movie and E wanted to watch it again the next day....with Grandma. I managed to get a few shots of her watching it a second time.