Friends

My girls have the funnest friends...and there are a few in particular that I really love when they play together...because they have such a good time. (and because I really like their moms!) I see the girls making a couple of best friends that I hope will last their lifetimes. Brian has a couple of friends that he met in kindergarten that he is still very close with. I hope that for the girls and their best friends. They are the type of friend that you do not have to try to entertain...and that make the girls light up and smile doing just about anything, and nothing at all. Emily had her friend over this week and they made...a TV Dinner....Peas and carrots, mashed potatoes and a sunflower. These cupcakes were so much fun. They were taken from the book Hello Cupcake and were fast, fun and yummy. The girls did an awesome job. They really made theses all by themselves. Really, the girls and their crafty talents are quickly outdoing anything that I can do with some buttercream :)

Good Times

Brian took the kids to visit Grandma and Grandpa this weekend. The kids LOVE going to Arkansas. This is a picture of them at The Old Mill with George and Gayle...and thier Arkansas glisten...its humid. I stayed home with Olivia, I did not think she should travel so soon after her illness, she is still having coughing fits and, so close to her 24 hour drive to Utah. Olivia hates no... HATES the car...she screams the entire time...whether it is 5 minuets or 35 she will yell....the drive to Utah should be very interesting. Can I just say that I was so bored and lonely. Having the house to myself sounded very charming and relaxing but the truth is Brian and the kids are my entire life. They really mean everything to me. I had no reason to cook, play or even yell :) I need to remind myself of these feelings when I am in the middle of pulling my hair out with frustration. It is so good to live in a house full of noise and mess and chaos. I can't wait for them to come home and give me something to do. however, (I did quite like waking up to a clean house every morning and having it stay that way...all day:)

Really another ride in the Ambulance?

Just because we like excitement around here....
Olivia has been suffering with a very bad cough/cold for over two weeks and to make a very long story short...
After being repeatedly mis-diagnosed for over two weeks I finally took her to get a second opinion at a new pediatrician last Wednesday. He listened to her and said "Oh, she is REALLY bad" . He then proceeded to give her all sorts of test and then immediately started breathing treatments on her in the office. She at this point had pneumonia in both lungs. Remember I said I would make the long story short....
By Friday she was even worse and even worse than that... her "Whooping Cough" test came back positive! I took her into his office at 2pm on Friday and they transferred her by ambulance down to the Children's Hospital (the 3rd one they called was the only one that had a bed for her...isn't that sad there is so many sick children). So we spent 3 days in the hospital...with some very scary moments...and my birthday:( but the good news is that she is getting a little better everyday. Unfortunately because it was not diagnosed in the beginning and she suffered with it for so long untreated...there is not much they can do for her and it will just have to run its course.
Each time something happens I am both puzzled...what do I need to learn from this experience? and grateful for all that the Lord has blessed us with. God is good and shows us his tender mercies everyday....today Olivia laughed out loud at me when I kissed all over her neck. It was wonderful.

The Bumbo

Olivia loves her mommy! In fact every night from about 5 pm on... I am the only one that she will allow to hold her. She has had a cold and cough and so it has been even worse....but thinking about the blessing of having her here and it being just a cold makes it easier to put the rest of life on hold and love on her. A friend of mine gave me this Bumbo chair...saying that it might give me 5 more minutes when frosting a cake :) Olivia loves it for about 7 minutes! Doesn't she look cute...and so grown-up. Just in the last few days I think she has had a major growth spurt. I have been so eager for her to get a little bigger..and now I am already to slow her down and have her be my little baby. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE having a baby, life really just does not get any better than having a snugly little person to love on all the time!

Volleyball is over!

The girls finished up their seasons of Volleyball this past week. Emily and the Heartbreakers took an un-defeated season! They took home not one but two trophies...and they are huge (let the battle begin as to where they will be displayed)...Yeah Emily! Mackenzie and the Spike Girls went to the finals and did not win but played AWESOME ball and made huge strides in their game. Yeah Kenz! Mom and dad are just glad that we are now freed up on Monday and Tuesday nights...as well as Saturdays! Now Brian is starting Track with Ryan...no rest for the weary!

Burrito

Thanks to her extended stay at the NICU...Olivia cannot sleep unless she is wrapped...as tight as you can get her, like a burrito. I think it is cute ...now...when she is 11 years old... maybe not.

On this day she had just received her immunization for whooping cough and I had given her Tylenol..she slept ALL day. I think I will remember that for our 24 hour car ride to Utah this summer...just kidding.

Banana Grams!

This is such a great and addicting game! If you do not have it...buy it. We were introduced to it last summer at aunt Jessica's home. We love it and the kids talked Eric and Heather into playing it with them at least 172 times while they were here. Thanks guys! Really when I say Eric and Heather are the IT...it is so true. The kids...all of them LOVE and adore them. Eric and Heather are just about the two nicest people I have ever met...really. They played endless crazy games with the kids...tolerated many a WII game and even acted excited and happy the whole time...when I grow-up I know who I want to be like.