3am

Yep, it's 3am. 3:00 in the morning. That can only mean one thing. Sickness has come to our house. I am sick. Emily and Abby are sick and getting worse by the minute. Thankfully Geoff and Sophie have been spared so far. To say that I'm scared would be the understatement of the century. I am so worried about Abby and how things are going to go with her. I have been praying and praying that her airway stays open enough for her to get the amount of air that she needs. She is watching Rio and drinking ice water and laying on her favorite fluffy pillow as I type. Please say a little prayer for her!

Sunday

We have a tradition on Sundays. We never miss it. Ever. Every single Sunday, we pop popcorn. Lately, we've been watching a movie, too. Tonight we watched Rio. I remember doing this when I was a little girl, too. In fact, my parents still have popcorn every Sunday night. And it can't be the cheater microwave popcorn! It's gotta be the real stuff with real butter!
Now, if only Geoff could join us. He's at work. But don't worry, I sent the cheater stuff with him so he can kind of join in on the tradition.

Saturday

I totally stacked off on Friday. Shame on me! I was having a hard time coming up with a picture for that day since we really didn't do much. Friday is our "recovery day." We have so much going on during the week and when Friday rolls around we just lounge around and don't accomplish much. I think Friday's are quickly becoming one of my favorite days! I will admit that I am liking having something to do each day. We aren't crazy busy, but we have enough to do to keep us on a good schedule. If we had more lazy days, then I think I'd go crazy! So, on to Saturday. Since Geoff didn't have to go in for work til the evening, we decided to head over to the Teddy Bear Clinic at the hospital. They do it once a year for kids. Kids can bring their favorite stuffed animal and the nurses do a check-up, height and weight, give shots, stitches, x-rays, casts, brush teeth....all sorts of stuff. Emily had a good time...except for when she ran into the man dressed as an elephant. She isn't a huge fan of costumes...and that totally freaked her out. And let's just say that she wasn't quiet about her feelings. Everyone in the building could hear her screaming. It was pretty embarassing! She got over it eventually and we were able to enjoy ourselves. I love this idea! I think it is so important for kids to see that the hospital isn't a scary place and that the nurses are so nice! We also enjoyed getting to see some of Abby's nurses in a friendlier setting. Abby wasn't thrilled to be there around all the stethoscopes, though.

This is our very favorite nurse that took care of Abby. She still remembers us and gives Emily big hugs everytime we see her. She tries to give Abby hugs...but she's not interested yet. We just love her! I always felt better when she was there taking care of my sweet baby.

Can you see the cast on Abby's kitty's tail. Pretty funny!
Emily got to prep her elephant for surgery and put him to sleep.

They also checked his blood pressure and heart rate.

It was a fun activity and I'm so glad we went. We are trying really hard to do more things like this instead of just sitting at home being bored.

After the hospital, we headed over to my parents house to celebrate my dad's birthday. One of my brother's and his family came down to celebrate with us. This picture is of Emily, Grandpa, and her cousin, Olivia.

It turned out to be a fun day and the kids were exhausted when we got home. I love that!! It means that I get to put them to bed extra early!!!

Thursday

I have the hardest time picking just one "picture of the day"!!! Once I get started taking pictures, I can't stop. (Much to the dismay of my family...except Emily, of course.) Geoff built Emily a gigantic fort. It took up the majority of the living room. Emily and Abby were thrilled with it and spent most of the afternoon in it.
We tried a new recipe for homemade pizza tonight and it turned out divine! It's going to be our new favorite pizza recipe for sure! I was pretty proud of myself for making the dough and sauce from scratch! We are excited to try out some different combinations.
(BTW, both recipes are from Our Best Bites)

This was one of my accomplishments today. I finally got all of the girls hair stuff (or crap, as Geoff would say) all organized. Well, I got the majority of it organized. I'm still trying to figure out what to do with all the headbands. I had plans to make a super cute holder, but I just don't have time for super cute projects right now. I'm pretty pleased with it, though. I like that I can see everything! And, I like that there's extra space for more stuff! (I'd better go shopping!)

And last but not least, sweet Sophie has started putting herself to sleep!! WAHOO!!!! We just layer her on her blanket and she kicks around for a bit and then passes out! We just have to swaddle her up and lay her in bed and she'll sleep until 5:30 or 6....sometimes 7! Isn't she THE BEST baby ever?!?!????

Picture of the Day and Stuff that made me happy today.....

In no particular order, here is what made me happy today:

The bestest friends...I sure hope you know who you are!

Grandparents

Sunny skies, but that fallish chill in the air.

This article about motherhood.

Getting to hang out with my sweet niece, Kelsey,

and my older brother, Mike.
This super yummalious place! Bring on the shredded pork salad! Oh yeah!



That the girls went to bed extra early and without any drama.

This beautiful quote:

"Imagine yourself as a living house. God come in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of--throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were gong to be made into a decent little cottage, but He is building a palace."

--C.S. Lewis


And now for my picture(s) of the day:
Geoff was finally able to talk Emily into getting her hair cut! She was super excited! I think it turned out so dang cute!! But, it sure makes she look big...and that makes me a little sad. She loves it, though, and that's all that matters. Her favorite thing about it is how bouncy it is....especially when she jumps on the tramp at gymnastics! (I think she also enjoys all the compliments, too!) Thanks Chris!! You're the best!

Picture of the Day

Awhile ago one of my cousins started posting a picture a day on her blog. I love this idea! I have a really hard time actually finding time to scrapbook and even write about our daily activities. So, hopefully this will help me keep up on things!!

Friday:

I can't even tell you how excited I am about this picture! Abby absolutely HATES getting her picture taken, so we have very few good ones of her. This isn't the best picture, but I love it! I love her sweet smile! This was taken right after nap time...maybe that's why she was so smiley!

Saturday:

We went to the Blackfoot Fair. The girls had such a good time....for the first 10 minutes. It went downhill pretty fast after that! I wish I would've taken a picture of each one of them bawling their eyes out!! We swore to never EVER take kids to the fair again!! I'm sure we'll feel guilty next year and take them. I love the first pciture of Abby! She's making sure it's okay to pet the goats. Sophie is as sweet as ever in the second one. And Emily is milking a pretend cow in the third one.

Sunday:

This one was taken during the crazy thunderstorm we had that day. This picture is shocking for two reasons.....one, the girls are acutally getting along....and two, they didn't freak out at the thunder! We have really been working with Emily and her fears. (Which are many!)

Monday:

This one describes how our day was!! Exhausting! Mondays are definately going to be our craziest day of the week! We babysit all day, get Geoff off to work, then rush to gymnastics, and it's home for dinner and bedtime stuf....which I have to do all alone. (I'm starting to get the hang of it, though)

Tuesday:

This makes me smile. Emily has been working so hard at learning how to write her name. We still need to work on the proper way to write some of her letters, but I think she's doing great for a 4 year old! I love her signature! I know it will change soon since she's in preschool. And her cute face is the very best!

I remember...

Emotions have been very close to the surface all day today. September 11, 2001 will be one of those days that will be etched in my mind forever. I was getting ready for work at Inkley's. I always watched the Today Show while I got ready. When I turned it, on the first plane had just hit the World Trade Center and nobody knew what was going on. I remember feeling instant fear, that something just wasn't right. I knew that this wasn't going to be an average day. As I continued getting ready and watching things unfold, my heart sank further and further. I headed into work and we all watched TV the rest of the day. Still trying to understand and soak it all in.

And now tonight, as I have watched interviews and videos of that day, I had my three beautiful daughters each by my side, I couldn't keep the tears inside. I have to admit that I fear for my girls and what things they will have to face in the future. I wish I could just keep them by my side and under my wing forever. However, I am so thankful that they were born into this amazing country! I love this country! I am thankful for our freedoms!

September, oh how I love you!

I love September! It has got to be my very favorite month! I love the sudden chill in the air. (Can you feel it, too?) I love the rows and rows of school supplies. (I could spend hours walking up and down the isles and looking at each and every thing! School supplies weren't this cool when I was in school!) I love the feeling of starting fresh. September is my favorite time to set new goals and start new habits. It's also and exciting month....a "prep month." It's time to start getting ready for all the fun things coming up....holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, more holidays, and more birthdays. And the food! Oh the food! I get so excited to start making soups and yummy desserts again! September brings a whole new excitment to me this year.

All because of this girl....
She started Preschool today! Emily has been begging us to let her go to school for so long! She was so ready and sooooo excited! I half expected her to change her mind when it was time to go, but she went right to her class and never looked back. The only thing she was nervous about was if she had to go to the bathroom and couldn't reach the toilet paper! All morning she kept asking me what she should do if that happened. We talked about it and came up with a plan. When we picked her up she let me know that our bathroom plan worked out great! I am so excited for her! She is going to learn so much and will love every single minute of it!

Oh, and BTW, I'm sure most of you have noticed that we haven't gone private yet. I'm still on the fence about it. However, I have noticed that alot of people have sent me their emails....but never invited me to their private blogs. :( So, all of you privates out there....I wanna read your blogs, too!!! Please?

I love this....

I am your PARENT, you are my CHILD

I am your QUIET PLACE, you are my WILD

I am your CALM FACE, you are my GIGGLE

I am your WAIT, you are my WIGGLE

I am your DINNER, you are my CHOCOLATE CAKE

I am your BEDTIME, you are my WIDE AWAKE

I am your LULLABY, you are my PEEKABOO

I am your GOOD NIGHT KISS, you are my I LOVE YOU

I found this poem here.

Things that I love today

I love nothing more than thunderstorms!! The big, loud, rattle your whole house, ones! I L.O.V.E. them! Especially when they happen in the middle of the night. I love to snuggle up to my hunny and enjoy each and every clap of thunder!

(BTW, Geoff took this picture. Isn't it awesome?!???)

This is my new favorite blog! Can I just say that I'm pretty sure the tips and ideas on this blog are going to save me? If I can just use a few of her ideas, I know I will feel more "in control" of my life. I just know it!

I'm sure all of you know by now that these gals are my favorite! Today was a good day. I heard more giggles than screams. I love listening to Emily and Abby laugh together.

Do I need to even explain myself?

This article really hit me today. It was a sweet reminder to me that I need to treat people with more kindness, more patience, and more love. I would like to think I treat people fairly and with kindness....but I know I don't do it all of the time. I know I don't treat everyone this way. After reading this, I am going to do better.

Needin' some privacy please....

After alot of thought, we've decided to make our blog private. If anyone would like to be on the invite list, then send me your email address. The more and more I think about it, I'm not comfortable letting "just anyone" look at pictures of my kids and our life.

"Stay-cation" Week

Geoff had a week off of work! 5 whole days!! That is unheard of!! We were all so excited to have him home with us allday everyday!! Our original plan was to travel to the Oregon Coast with my family. However, with the insane amout of medical bills that we have, we decided it would be smarter for us to stay home. (Plus, the thought of driving for 14 hours each way with three little ones didn't sound very appealing.) Maybe in a few years. So, we were determined to make our "stay-cation" fun and enjoyable. I have to say that we had a pretty good time!

We spent alot of time hanging out at home laying on the air mattress, watching movies, eating tons of junk food, and drinking more pop than we should.

Abby got into a fare amount of mischief. (It's good that she's so darn cute!)
We spent some time at the park and had a picnic.

We went to the zoo....

(and had a scrumptious dinner at Cafe Rio!)

(Emily was excited that she matched the zebras)

(Even Sophie had a good time!)

The ice cream truck stopped by our house....

We finished off our week with a little mini golfing....

Some other fun things we did were:

*went to a movie

*Geoff went for a bike ride on some crazy trail up City Creek

*Emily finished up her gymnastics class for the summer

*did a little shopping

*did some sleeping in

*I got to have a girls night with a great friend

*Abby learned how to walk up the stairs without holding on...

(it gives me a heart attack everytime)

*and even more laying around being lazy and eating

We only had one "not so fun" thing to do this week. Sophie had her two month check-up. This is my least favorite check-up. I hate when they have to get shots for the first time! It's so sad! But, I was strong and she did great! She is having some feeding problems that we're concerned about. She's been having trouble swallowing without choking. We really have to concentrate when we feed her and make sure she is getting enough air. Her doctor thinks she may have the same problems as Abby (a laryngeal cleft) or her tiny chin could also be the problem. So, here's the plan : First, we have to thicken her formula with rice cereal to make it easier for her to swallow.

Second, if that isn't fixing the issues, then we will give her Zantac twice a day to help with reflux (GERD). Third, we will go back in a month to do a weight check and talk with the doctor about how things are going. Fourth, if things haven't changed, then we will do a Swallow Study. And fifth, if they find a mechanical problem during the swallow study, then we will head down to Primary Children's to see a specialist. So right now, we are just focusing on thickening her formual and giving her the Zantac. Adding the cereal to her formula has helped some, but not completely. So, last night we started giving her the Zantac (which she totally hates!). I'm not sure if it's helping since she's only had two doses so far. (I'm praying that it will magically fix whatever issues she's having.) I can't allow myself to even think about all the next steps. We will cross those bridges when we get to each of them.

So, we now have two more weeks until preschool and gymnastics start back up for Emily. Plus, Geoff's work schedule is changing for the better....now he gets to go to all of church! And, I'm going to start doing a little babysitting one day a week. Being busy is good, though! It'll keep us out of trouble!! I am so grateful that we had this week just for us. It was so nice to be together and enjoy each other! The girls loved having their dad around all the time. He's back to work today though. Us girls are all going through major withdrawls!!

All about Sophie...

I still can't believe I have three daughters! And yet, in the same breath, it feels like each one of them have been with us forever. She just fits perfectly into our family. Have I ever mentioned how much I love newborns? Babies are super hard....but the sweet moments far out weigh the bad ones. I love the feeling you get while holding a sweet baby. They certainly bring the feeling of heaven into your home. One of my very favorite times with this sweet girl is in the early morning hours. (Probably because it's the only time we have alone!) I love being able to actually have time to sit and hold her and stare at her beauty. I am amazed that we have made yet another beautiful girl.

Here are some special things about our tiny Sophie Jane...

Last Sunday was her blessing day. These days have got to be one of my very favorites. It's a very special feeling to see my sweet baby surrounded by the Priesthood and given a beauitful blessing. Geoff gave her a beautiful blessing. It was so sweet of most of our family to sacrifice their time (and sleep) to be here and support us. We are so lucky and blessed to be loved by so many! The dress she wore was my blessing dress made by my grandma. I love this dress and each one of our girls have worn it. She also had a beautiful blanket wrapped around her, made by her Grandma Meredith.

Sophie is a very calm baby. She hardly ever cries....unless the usual hungry, poopy, or burpy.

She loves to be swaddled. The minute we wrap her up, she smiles and her eyes get all heavy. We don't even have to rock her to sleep. Just wrap her up tight, lay her down, and she's out.

She's really strange about her hands. They much be covered at all times or she can't settle down. I really hope she outgrows it! I'm worried she's gonna be one of those weird kids that wears gloves all the time!

Sophie loves to be walked around. We could tell the minute she could start seeing things better because she didn't want to be held close anymore. She wants to be facing out where she can see everything. We can always get a smile out of her when she spots the ceiling fan or leaves blowing.

A few weeks ago, Sophie figured out how to give out the real smiles. Oh, they just melt me! We can always tell when a smile is coming. Her eyes tell it all. They are sparkly when she's happy or cloudy when she's sad. Now that she's got the smile down, she's starting to make those sweet cooing noises. It's so fun to watch her try to talk to her dad or sisters!

How grateful I am to have yet another beautiful daughter. Each one of them brings a different sweetness into our family. Each one of them teaches me in different ways. I am looking forward to watching these beauties grow up and become best friends.