My exciting 2 day adventure with Carter

For the past 2 days, Carter has been in the hospital. Here's how it all came about.....

Tuesday morning he woke up and told me his stomach hurt. I chalked it up to the medication he was taking for strep throat and sent him to school after he ate waffles. I ran some errands with Gabe, got some food in the house, picked up a few presents for Gabe's birthday on Thursday and came home. No more than 5 minutes after coming home, I get a call from Carter telling me he's not feeling well. I asked him if he felt like he was going to throw up. He told me he already had. Perfect. I high tailed it over to school and took one look at him. He looked horrible! At first I thought he wasn't responding to the medication and still had a horrible strep infection. So, I called the DR. They told me to come in. Off we went to the Dr's, again! At the Dr's office, he started violently throwing up which alarmed the Dr enough to contemplate admitting him to the hospital. We decided to hold off and see how he did the rest of the night and if it got worse, to go see the on call Dr later on. Well, you guessed it. He got worse. Much, much worse. He was so dehydrated he feel asleep in the bathtub, not even strong enough to hold his head up for me to shampoo his hair. I thought to myself, enough is enough and off we went yet again to the Dr's who admitted us to the hospital. They ran a bunch of tests and figured out his white blood cell count was really low, indicating an infection of some sort. He had Dr. Wise scratching his head, wondering what was going on. After 2 days, it was determined his little body was trying to fight 2 different infections, strep throat and gastroenteritis. After 2 days of IV fluids, antibiotics and Zofran (anti-nausea medication), we were sent home. He is doing so much better now, just really weak. Man, it is amazing to me how fast a child can become so sick in a short amount of time. I am so grateful to the Dr's and nurses who took such great care of us. They were amazing to Carter, giving him a handmade blanket donated by a group of volunteers, and a Cat and the Hat plush stuffed animal. Not to mention as much juice, Popsicles, soda and ice cream a kid could ever want or need! After the first day, we actually had some fun. We played UNO, Connect 4, X-Box and watched many movies. We tried to color and even do some homework, but the darn IV was in his right arm and he wasn't able to bend it enough to write. He was able to paint 2 pictures. He wanted to paint a picture for Gabe's birthday. Such a good kid. Always thinking of everybody but himself. But that was even a chore! He painted a brush stroke, and them huffed and put his arm down to give it a rest. Poor guy! All in all, he felt pretty darn special! When we were getting ready to leave I asked Carter if he was anxious to go home. He told me no. I asked him why. He said "Because here at the Hospital you get anything you want and you don't have to ask your mom!" Well, he's right. The nurses would ask HIM, not me, but HIM if he wanted or needed anything! If he did, they were back in less than 5 minutes with what he asked for! Pretty cool for a 6 year old! As much as I am grateful to all of the Dr's and nurses, I don't ever want to see them again, and I know they feel the same way about us!

One sick little boy!









His Awesome Blanket and Stuffed Animal!


Talkin to Aunt Marcy!


Talking to G'ma!


Talking to McKay!




Painting!



Connect 4!


UNO!

Happy Birthday Gabe!

My baby is all grown up! I guess that's what happens when you feed them! Gabe may be a small fry (Weighing a whopping 21 pounds) but what he lacks in weight, he more than makes up for in personality and spunk! Some of the milestones I want to remember about Gabe at this age are.....

He LOVES his brothers to no end.
He LOVES to sing and "shake his bootie"!
He knows how to count to 10.
He talks up a storm!
He is a great sleeper, sleeping 12 hours a night with 3 hour naps.
He has fantastic manners and says please and thank you after everything, especially diaper changes.
He says "yep" in lieu of yes!
He has a fascination with trash trucks.
He loves to play legos and cars with his dad and brothers.
He loves anything pertaining to the outdoors.
He loves going to Nursery.
He loves talking on the phone, especially to "Dama" (grandma) and Papa ((grandpa)
He loves his "dama" and papa.
He is extremely strong willed and has to learn on his own.
He is a cuddle bug and loves giving hugs, kisses and knuckles.
He loves saying prayers.
He doesn't like to eat (hence the weight issue).


Those are just a few of the many reasons why I love my Mr J. I know, the Mr, J doesn't make sense, but that's been his nickname since he was a baby so now, it's stuck! No turning back. Happy 2nd birthday Gabens! We love you to pieces!

Best White Elephant Gift Ever!

This past weekend was crazy. Two work parties and a fun evening out with friends at their cabin in Sundance. It was a bit crazy, but so well worth it. At one of the parties, we were asked to bring a White Elephant gift. Philip had the PERFECT idea. We called one of my very dear friends and asked her to help us out. Of course, she was ready and willing to help out. In about 2 hours, we had this gift ready and waiting to be opened. What was it, you ask? Well, here it is........



An original, autographed, framed picture of my dear, handsome hubby! SWEET! See. Told ya it was the best gift ever! Go ahead and copy us if you like! It'll be the hit of the party!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

It's October!!!

Although I cannot STAND the cold weather, I LOVE LOVE LOVE the holidays! It seems to me once September rolls around, the rest of the year fly's by! September is my birthday month (yes, I celebrate it the entire month just because I can) then Halloween, then Turkey Day, then CHRISTMAS!!! Oh, how I LOVE Christmas! I love everything about it. The music, the lights, the decorations, the smells, the PARTIES!!! You name it, I LOVE it! That being said, I had to dedicate and entire post to welcome in the upcoming festivities! So to the freezing cold Utah weather I say BRING IT!!! At least we have holidays mixed in with the cold to help keep us warm and toasty!

Trash Truck Wednesday's

Wednesday is a BIG deal at our house. Not only have I made it half way to Friday ( yeah for me), but it's the day the TRASH MAN COMES!! Whenever Gabe sees trash cans, he says most triumphantly in all his 18 month glory, "Sha shuck, Sha shuck"(aka trash truck) and then squeals as he raises his eyebrows!!! Every Wednesday morning, we wait outside, patiently, for the trash truck to arrive. When he finally does, we have to wait until he has emptied every single trash can on our street and wave to him until he is no longer in sight. It's precious. There is nothing like it and it makes my Wednesday's a little bit better. Ah, to be a kid again. It's the little things in life, ain't it?


This particular day, it was summer time! I wasn't dressed and the kids heard the truck come. They all ran to the window and I grabbed my camera!




Could you just eat him up??

Happy Birthday McKay!!

I think every mother feels the same as I do on their child's birthday, where did the time go? Really. I want to know. McKay is 10 today! My sweet first born. He will always hold a special place in my heart being our first. This morning as I was standing in line waiting to pay for my donuts for his special birthday breakfast, thoughts of what I was doing 10 years ago this day flooded my mind and I almost broke down right then and there. It was 10 years ago today that I began my journey of firsts. The first time I became a mom, the first time I really experienced pain, both physical and emotional, the first time I truly experienced indescribable joy and eventually the first time I experienced heartache. I could go on and on. McKay is such a special spirit and I knew it from the time he was born. So full of energy, always striving to do what is best. Trying his hardest to please his parents and he succeeds every time! He is such a great brother, friend, cousin and son. I love him with all my heart. Hope you have a special day dude! We love you to pieces!


2 years old at Halloween!





1st day of Kindergarten





McKay has ALWAYS been a thrill seeker! Here he is at 2 years old on his first roller coaster.... he can barely see over the top!



McKay and Grandpa reading scriptures. He has always LOVED his Grandpa and Grandpa!



Such a great friend

California Vacation

Ah, Where do I begin? Last week, our family took off to sunny southern California. We had an absolute blast and didnt want it to end. Although there were a few hiccups, all in all, we had a great time.

We left bright and early (ok, so it may not have been so bright at 4:30 am) Saturday morning. Our plane left at 7:20 AM!! We had great intentions of getting the kids to bed Friday night at 8:00 and ourselves in bed shortly after at 9:00, but being so excited to leave, the kids had a hard time falling asleep ( as did I) . I think around 10:30 they finally gave in. I myself wasn't able to fall asleep until 3:00 AM!! We woke the house up at 4 and were out the door at 4:30. They didnt mind a bit though and were troopers all day.






We arrived in Long Beach to a wet and very cold California! WHAT??!! We spend the day at the Swap Meet and had great fun eating Churros and waiting 45 minutes for a Hot Dog! The waiting part wasn't fun! Later that night, we met up with a friend from high school and his sweet family for a BBQ. It was great to see them. I hadn't seen Ryan for 6 years and it was great to catch up and reminise on old times. Here is a picture of the gang! Thanks Kagy's for a great time!





Sunday was Fathers day. I have such an incredible, loving father and I am so grateful I got to spend the day with him. What a fun day we had. Church in the morning where Marcy gave the most incredible talk about Fathers and then went on to teach Relief Society. She has such a gift. One I wish I had! After church was dinner. Let me just explain a little bit about my mom. She loves to cook. And she is GREAT at it! Every meal was homeade by her and preceeding dinner, was ALWAYS an appetizer of some sort. One of my FAVORITES was a baquette with pesto mayonaise, topped with fresh sliced mozzerela, home grown basil and sliced tomatoes drizzled with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. YUMM!! No wonder I gained 5 pounds while there! Thanks mom for spoling me!!




My Daddio and his girls!


My handsome honey and his 3 boys!



Family picture on Fathers Day



My dad talking to my brother on Fathers day. This picture is funny because he is laying on 2 air mattresses which were on top of a table. Hey, with 6 kids running around the house for a week, this was the only place he could find to relax!







The next 3 days were spent at California Adventure and Disneyland! We had a blast. Thank you Marcy for watching Gabe on Monday so we could be kids again and ride all the rides and not have to worry about diapers, strollers and switching children. It was heaven! It was Carters first time riding California Screamin and Tower of Terror. I didn't even think of turning the flash off on the camera when I took this picture of Carter's first ride, but if you look carefully, you can see his face! He looks terrified, but LOVED it and rode it a total of 3 times! Just like California Screamin, he loved Tower of Terror! The picture is classic (I was able to turn off my flash for this picture)! Everyone else is SCREAMING and Carter is as cool as summer's morning (as my brother would describe him). Just sitting as if he is enjoying a movie. We had so much fun. The park wasn't to crowded and it was the perfect temperature.

Were going to Disneyland!!! OK, Actually California Adventure!



Carter right before launch on California Screamin! He was SOOO excited!! I had to sit this one out to get a picture! Classic! He is sitting near the back.


Can you see him? He is on the bottom right hand corner.


Grizzly Bear Rapids... before!










Gabe LOVED Disneyland and did surprisingly well without a nap! It was me who had a hard time! While there, we celebrated Carter's 6th birthday! He got a cool b-day button and 60 dollars to spend at the park! WOW! He loved all the attention he got! Almost all the employees at Disneyland wished him a happy birthday. Happy birthday buddy! Hard to believe your 6 already! Love you to pieces dude!


Donut Birthday Breakfast!


Gabe LOVING It's a Small World


McKay less than thrilled to be riding It's a Small World!





Friday was mom's birthday. She is 60 years young! You would never guess she is 60! She keeps up with all of us and doesnt stop for aminute, Not to mention how beautiful she is. Really. I dont think she has one wrinkle! On Thursday we celebrated by shopping and took her to dinner. After dinner, we went back over to the house and surprised her by having some of her closest frineds there for cake and ice cream. Happy Birthday mom! We love you!

Friday was spent getting ready to come home. The most horrible day of the trip. I always hate packing to leave. We did, however manage to go to the pool and see a movie. We went to see The Proposal. Is was hysterical! I loved it!

Gabe with Aunt Marcy in the Spa. It's as if he turned to mush once he hit the hot water! AHHHHH!!









Saturday we headed for home, but not before we went to Laura Smiths wedding. She was married in the Los Angeles temple on the 27th. We headed up to LA at 8 in the morning and didnt get home until 3. It was a great day at the temple and so good to see old friends. When we got home, we put our suitcases in the car and headed for the airport. I had a pit in my stomach the entire day. We made it to the airport and got right on the plane and headed for home. We did everything we wanted to do except see friends and go to the beach. Maybe next trip. 6 days was not long enough. We made great memories and had so much fun being together. It was a much needed break. Until the next trip....