Lazy Saturday

As I mentioned yesterday, today was meant to be a restful, recooperating day. And it was for the most part.

Both kids woke up much more chipper and energetic than the previous days this week, but they still havent had much appetite. Although they both just ate a pretty good dinner for the first time in a week.

I woke up feeling just as bad as the day before. I'm a few days behind the kids in their colds, so I expect a few more days of feeling like garbage.

Today was a nicer day outside, so after lunch I took the kids out back to play while Derek went upstairs to do the bills/budget. Avery stepped in cat poop and tracked it all over the porch. Then she was dumping mud and muddy water all over herself. And then she was trying to drink water out of a rag that was sitting outside from over a week ago, that was used to clean the kids water toy table thing. So gross!

Regardless, i'm glad they got a little Vitamin D!

So, these pictures start back from a couple weeks ago.

Avery has my hair. We looked back at pictures of me when I was her age, and my hair was identical... a little lighter in color, but we both had/have curls. I told her someday she will hate her hair. ;)
This picture doesnt show off her curls much, but it was too cute not to post ;)

I'm not sure what this little monkey was doing... i'm guessing he was trying to keep his eyes from closing while the camera flash went off... he always blinks.

These next few pictures are of Avery's E.R. trip.

The pictures really dont show her massive blue lump very well at all. It was tough getting the angle right too, and trying to get the kid to hold still was the hardest.

The boys were goofing around with the camera while Avery and I were off getting her x-rays.

You can kindof see the lump on her right hand in this picture...

This was after Avery's swimming lesson one day... she was pooped.

Look at that sweet little face.... DONT BE FOOLED!!! She's a stinker! The adorable face is just a disguise!

This was the start of our sick week.

I feel bad for him because that's how i've felt the last 2 days.

This year I bought one of those topsy turvy strawberry planters... I didnt buy enough strawberry plants to fill it though. We'll see how our strawberries turn out!

Today. The kids feeling better, playing outside.

This picture makes me smile.... you could make alot of quotes for this picture. :)

And, here I am. I wanted to see if I looked as bad as I felt, so I took the camera and snapped myself real quick. Yup. I looked as bad as I felt.

Tomorrow, the weather is actually supposed to break 70!!!

Under the weather

This entire week has been spent with one or more of us sick.... and you know how much I LOVE illnesses.
Sunday evening, Avery didnt have much appetite, had a low grade fever, and was a little more tired/cranky than normal. This has continued all week.... the lowgrade fever ended after just two days. She's got a cold of some sort that is apparently affecting appetite and mood.

Monday evening, Jadon "threw up" a little, which we assumed was because earlier that evening at dinner, Avery had choked on an olive, and was gagging and coughing to get it up to the point she almost threw up. Jadon witnessed the whole thing, and since he is much like me and does not like vomit, he lost his appetite after that. So, when he "threw up" later on, we thought it was because he'd just got himself all worked up over Avery's dinnertime incident. I say "threw up" in quotes because it was more like he coughed/burped stuff up a few times. Not much actually came out of him. I thought maybe he just had indigestion.

Anyways, the next day, tuesday, he did nothing but lay around, and ended up with a fever of 103. To which I thought was from his MMR shot that he had had 8 days earlier. (one side effect of the MMR shot is a fever 7-12 days after the injection.) So whether the vomiting and the fever were related, we dont know.

Tuesday or wednesday night, Avery was in her crib coughing and crying so hard that she made herself throw up at almost midnight.

Wednesday was the best day of the week, in that the fevers were dwindling, and Jadon seemed to be more like himself.

Thursday, Jadon was fine so I sent him to preschool. However, Avery's cold continued to worsen, and she was in a foul mood, and I woke up feeling under the weather... scratchy throat, and just generally icky feeling, so Avery and I didnt go to swimming. Thursday after lunch, Avery and I fell alseep on the couch for a few minutes, and I woke up feeling sick to my stomach, so I put her in bed and went to lay back on the couch. The feeling worsened, and by the time Derek came home from work, I could hardly leave the bathroom. Lets just say, I had the trots.... bad. My stomach was soooo upset, and I did nothing but lay in bed all evening and all night long (when i wasnt in the bathroom.) Finally by friday morning the trots eased up and my upset stomach improved. I laid around most of the day today, eating very little.

Jadon woke up fine today, then saw me laying on the couch and immediately started worrying that he was sick. We convinced him he wasnt sick. However, he has not been himself all day today, and when he went to quiet time, he crawled in bed to take a nap...which is odd. I took his temp a bit ago, and it was 101.3. And he doesnt have an appetite. He's also got a dry cough, so I think he's got Avery's cold now. *sigh*

So, as you can see, its been nothing but sickness all week. F.U.N.

We will be skipping soccer for both kids tomorrow and trying to recover from all these bugs instead.

Feeling good

My kids love love LOVE the outdoors! They will entertain themselves outside for a long time, its great! No whining, no complaining, no pestering. Avery barely makes a peep when she's outside because she's so focused on her playing.

The weather is very slowly improving, but it has improved enough over the last week that we have been able to go outside alot. Its wonderful! I feel like it gives me a little break, and its good for all of us to get outdoors, have a change of scenery, and get some fresh air! Its amazing what a little sunshine can do for the soul! I think I have come to the conclusion that not only does the sunshine do wonders for my mood, but also the longer days really improve my mood as well! The sunshine is very motivating!

I've also found that exersizing in the middle of the day, when i'm feeling very sluggish is also very uplifting! As I mentioned before, i've been doing yoga to try to destress myself during the days a little. I've also started doing pilates too. I used to do pilates before the kids were born, but I find that I have more drive now than I did before. I'm pushing myself a little more than I used to. Last week, I did yoga and/or pilates 5 days- monday-friday-, and by friday I felt great! Saturday and sunday I got quite a workout as well. I painted our entryway. I had to do ALOT of climbing up and down the really tall ladder, and my hips and triceps were feeling it!

Another thing that makes me feel good is having new clothes. I hate buying myself new clothes, or at least, I used to. Back when I was super skinny, I LOVED clothes shopping. Then I gained weight, and had kids, and lost my self-confidence and with it, all interest in clothing shopping. My main objective when shopping for clothes now is comfort. I deal with enough stresses from the kids on a daily basis, the last thing I want is to be wearing something that is uncomfortable, or i'm constantly having to adjust....so, my clothes arent the most fashionable, but thats ok! I also do not like to spend the money on clothing.

But, I broke down and bought myself a few new clothing items in the last month. Fashionbug in Corvallis went out of business, but before they did, I managed to score 3 comfy shirts for $5! Woohoo for me! I also ordered a few more things that i'm waiting for delivery of. Hope they fit!

So, between the improving weather, a few new clothes, and exersizing, I feel like a much better me. My goal is to lose 5-10 more pounds in the next month so that I can fit comfortably in my old capris that I wore when we went to Hawaii (almost 7 years ago!) Then I wont have to buy new ones :). As it is right now, I can get in them and button them up, but they're a little on the tight side and ride up my rear.

4 years and 18 month checkups

We had both kids well-child checkups this morning. They both passed with flying colors. Jadon did an incredible job!!!! He even had 2 shots, and though he was really worried and started tearing up immediately when he found out he'd be having shots, when he actually got the shots, he didnt move, didnt cry, didnt wimper. He did SO GOOD! Avery cried for her shot.... that was expected though. So Avery is in the 90th percentile for height, and between the 25th and 50th percentiles for weight.... probably closer to 35th. Jadon is about the 98th percentile for height, and just under the 50th percentile in weight... so, they are both really tall, and pretty slim. Is anyone surprised by that????......... So, they are both doing really well, growing like normal kids right on track! The sun is supposed to shine this week, and even though its only supposed to be in the 50's, we'll be spending lots of time outside! :) :) :)

The first of many, I predict...

Avery had her first trip to the E.R. tonight. I'm predicting it will be the first of many trips to the E.R. we will make with her. After dinner, I was cleaning kitchen, and Derek left the room for a minute to go to the garage. The kids were playing in the living room, making noise like normally. I had the water running and pots and pans banging around as I was rinsing everything off. I heard a little bit Avery start crying, which I didnt think anything of because her and Jadon are always fighting over something, and these days I just ignore it most of the time and let them figure it out (unless of course someone is hurting the other, or I catch them in the act.) About that time, Derek came out of the garage, and I hear him saying that the chair fell on Avery, and he was asking Jadon what had happened. We aren't sure exactly, but it sounded like Avery somehow pulled the kitchen chair down on herself. When Derek asked what hurts, she showed us her hand. And on the back of her hand was an ENORMOUS goose egg.... i'd say it was close to half the size of a real egg. And on a little hand like hers, it looked BAD. So, we decided to take her to the E.R. to make sure everything inside was ok. After a few x-rays, it was determined that when the chair hit her hand, it sheared a vein, which caused the immediate egg to form. No broken bones or anything though (phew!) and we were sent home with instructions to ice her hand, and watch it to make sure it didnt get red or she didnt get a fever, and to expect it to be there for a few days. She did really good, she only wimpered a little during the x-rays, but other than that she was her normal self.... wanting to wander around, trying to get into things, trying to slide down the hospital bed, etc. Jadon on the other hand, my little worrywart, was worrying the second we mentioned going to the E.R. He was afraid he would have to get looked at I guess. Once we got there, he was white as a sheet, and looked very nervous and uneasy, and wouldnt crack a smile for anything, and was asking nervously what everything was (the light above the hospital bed, the temporary cast things.. not sure what those are called.) He was scared. Poor guy... i'm so sorry that I passed that worriesome gene on to him. :( I try to make him as comfortable as possible in situations that scare him... try to make light of things, and try to reassure him that its fine... but since I know how he feels, I know that it really doesnt help him much.

Oh Spring.... where are you????

Spring is veeeery slooooowly springing again this year. Last year, we had a very wet, cold, gray spring, (and a really really short summer)and this spring has been much of the same. I'm so tired of it! Even the kids are just desperate to get outside! Jadon told me today on the way home from preschool "I dont like the rain." So, we've been trying to go for walks after dinner in the evenings when its not raining, and anytime its sunny I throw the kids outside.... Ok, I dont really have to throw them out there... they pretty much rip down the door trying to get out! ;) On days where we've been lucky enough to have a dry, sunny day, its still been pretty cold out (still requiring a jacket.) But just feeling the sun on us does wonders for our moods and energy levels! Today is one of those rare sunny days! We are going to be going outside in just a bit, and I CANT WAIT to feel the sun on me again! After today, the forecast is rain for the rest of the week. Bleh!

See, the plants and trees are starting to show signs of life

This was a couple days ago, a chilly, windy, overcast day... the kids were still thrilled to be outside, they didnt seem to notice the chilliness. My little tomboy

My big guy

At Home Depot a week or so ago... there was a forklift in the aisle next to us, and the kids were fascinated.

He's so photogenic... and he's been letting me take his picture again (yay!!) in fact, he's actually been asking for me to take his picture! Can you believe my little 5lb 6oz baby boy is 4 years old already????

The kids have their well-child checkups next week. Im eager to see how much they've grown! I think they are both just coming out of a growth spurt. I had to buy them both some new PJ's a couple weeks ago because they both outgrew theirs. I got Avery size 24 months, and she fits just fine it in. And I had to buy her some shirts because suddenly her shirts were all short.

And Jadon doesnt fit in 3T shirts anymore... they are like belly shirts on him. So I had to buy him some more 4T shirts, and I even bought him 5T PJ's!!!! After 5T, he'll be in the boys section, and that almost makes me cry.

We were healthy for a whole 2 weeks, possibly even 3 weeks, (It was wooooonderful!!!) but now Jadon and Avery both came down with colds. So, here we go again. :(

The sun is shining today... yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Although, i'm such a pessimist, i'm already thinking about the rain that we are supposed to get in the next few days. That's how I am all summer long... LOVING the sunshine, but constantly thinking about the rapidly approaching fall/winter/spring seasons.

I've been keeping the kids and I busy lately, trying to get through the spring rains without going crazy! Its been great, but now i'm getting behind on my house chores and have a large list of things to do. Fridays are now referred to as our (the kids and I) day off. Although its not much of a day off when theres still errands to run and house to clean.

This week, I have been focused on painting our entry way. Its the last area in our home to be painted... and its been put off for awhile. If you've never seen the entry way.... its a looong ways up. Its a two story entryway, with winding stairs in it, so its not the easiest to manuever with a ladder, for one thing. We dont have a big ladder anyways, but Derek's coworker brought his over so we could borrow it. Its a little unnerving being up at the top of a tall, wobbly ladder. I'm not afraid of the height, but the fact that I dont trust ladders... i'm afraid its going to colapse on me, or fall over, or something.

The good news is, Derek washed the high window in the entryway that has never been washed since the house was built and we moved in 7 years ago! It was FILTHY! And now its so clean, it looks like theres no window there, and we do a double take everytime we see it. Its amazing what a difference it makes!

I finally took my wedding ring in to get it resized. After Jadon was born (and when i was pregnant with him), my fingers got fat, so I had to get it sized up. Now that i've lost a bunch of weight, its too big, so I had to get it sized back down. Unfortunately, its costing an arm and a leg for something you'd think would not cost much. $145!!!!!!! Apparently the price of gold has gone up, thus the price of sizing it goes up. The part I dont understand though, if i'm having gold taken OFF, then why is it still costing so much???? Here's why: Its 2 rings, soldered together. First, they have to unsolder them. That costs $30. Then, to size both the rings down, its $20 each (so $40 total). Then they have to resolder them together, which will cost $75. For a grand total of $145.

So, you could all do me a HUGE favor if you'd spread the word about my businesses: FHTM and Lovely Little Tutus. Also, remember YOU can purchase services through my FHTM page. DONT FORGET THIS!

I finally got Avery's underwater picture from waterbabies last session the other day... here it is:

I was cleaning off my computer desktop and realized i had never posted the video of Jadon's birthday party when we sang happy birthday to him. Soo funny, makes us laugh whenever we watch it. Also, a couple weeks ago, I got a video of Avery after she'd emptied out a kleenex box, and i'd asked her to put them back in the box. Oddly, I have a video of Jadon at roughly the same age, give or take a month or two, after he'd emptied a kleenex box, and he was asked to put them back in. So, now i have a video of both of the kids putting away kleenex that they'd emptied out as little ones. So, here's the video of the happy birthday song, and putting kleenex away. And here's the video of Jadon when he was putting the kleenex back in the box:

http://lovelessfamilyblog.blogspot.com/2008/08/curious-george.html

Swimming

I've been spending alot of time at the aquatic center lately, since both kids are enrolled in swimming right now. Monday/wed its Jadon's lessons, and tues/thurs its Avery's lessons. Both kids are doing SO well, and i'm so proud of both of them! Avery seems to be a natural. Since day 1 of her lessons, she's been improving each time. Back floats have always been her biggest weakness, but today she did back floats like a champ! And her dunks.... well, she's doing REALLY well in that area! She now glides a little underwater, and we also do "double dips", which is when she swims under water, then we let her up on her side, let her take a breath, then she does another swim underwater (glides.) And she very rarely swallows water or gets water up her nose, she really impresses me! Jadon, is doing good too! If you can remember, I did waterbabies with him until he was around 16 months old. I would have continued with him in it, but then the miscarriages started and things swirled out of control, so we never went back again. I'm SO glad we decided to put him back in now. He's had a little fear of the water in the last couple years... HATES water on his face, freaked out in the bath/shower when water would touch his face, even just a drop. I knew we needed to end his fear of this, and quickly! So, this is his second week in swimming, and he is now able to dunk his head ALL THE WAY UNDER THE WATER! The first time he did it yesterday, I saw an instant confidence on his face, and he easily did it several more times. I'm SOO proud of him. It brought tears to my eyes to see him do it because I know its a fear for him, but he did it anyways! So hopefully this water fear will be broken soon! He is already doing 100% better in the tub/shower when water gets on his face, and he even taught Avery to blow bubbles.

Spring is springing!!

Hip hip horray!!! Its April! The sun will start shining more around these parts (although still not nearly enough.) The ground will start drying out. The landscape will soon be green and beautiful once again, rather than brown and sopping wet. And there's a light at the end of the loooong winter tunnel! Friday we had beeeeautiful weather! Sunny and 67, the nicest day of the year so far, and the first day the lawn got mowed all year. The kids and I got up friday morning, went to home depot to get some flowers. I'm always itching to get my hands in the dirt when the sun first starts coming out again. After lunch, the kids and I went in the backyard, and they just played non stop for an hour. It was wonderful! No entertaining for me, and they were playing together and getting along. The worst part was having to come back inside for Averys nap. Poor Avery was just not real happy with that arrangment. So after she went down for nap, and Jadon went in quiet time, i went out front to plant my flowers. Ahhhhhh, felt so good! Then Jadon "helped" me trim some bushes with his safety scissors, although I didnt finish all of them. After the long winter weather, the yard just feels like a mess, and theres so much outside that needs to be done. I'm SOOOO excited for more days like friday!! I'm going to guess the kids are probably excited too.