MY BROTHER'S KEEPER

I'm not sure why I keep having to learn this lesson over in my life but I do. I just got off the phone with a dear friend of mine, the kind of friend you can go a long time in between seeing and catch up right where you left off. The lesson I keep having to learn, though, is that it's not good to do that. You need to call and go see the people you love now, not put it off. You need to tell them you love them now, not wait until tomorrow or wait until it's convenient for you because there just may not be a tomorrow. When you think about someone, it's not enough just to say a prayer for them. You need to check on them and see what you can do for them. (I am, of course, lecturing me--not you.) Though you are welcome to pick up any tidbits you want from my rant.

I have been thinking of this friend off and on for some time now but our schedules don't seem to mesh very well. I left her a message a month or so ago to call me but had not heard back from her yet. I thought of her today, decided to call and actually caught her. It had been more than a year since we talked and so much had gone on in her life--and not much that was pleasant. She had lost close loved ones, been diagnosed with cancer herself(I refuse to dignify cancer with a capital "c"), been through life-altering surgery and to add insult to injury just as she was about to return to work came down with another painful illness. I feel saddened and frankly, ashamed not to have been there for her through any of this.

Through all of this, I could hear in my friend an amazing attitude about what she has been through and what she has yet to go through--as there is more surgery on the horizon for her due to the cancer. She is someone I have always looked up to and admired.

I am determined once again to get this right, to show the Lord the gratitude I have for the good friends He has blessed me with by being good to them, by being "My Brother's Keeper" and keeping watch over those he has seen fit to bless me with in my life. The next time a concern for someone comes into my mind, I am going to reach for the phone . . .

SUNDAY AT OUR HOUSE

It was one of my Sunday's to stay home with Jono. We pretty much just hung out, read books, watched some TV, had a few time-outs (Jono, not me, Lol!) and got dinner started.

Jono and I made Lasagne. Okay, well we cheated. It was one of our freezer meals, but we did make it from scratch a month or two ago. It was sure yummy tonight and we were glad we were industrious a month or two ago! We also made some homemade bread a little bit later. Big sister Megan came over later in the afternoon and made the little ones happy. She's been working a ton of hours so they haven't seen her for quite awhile. She stayed for dinner and played with them for awhile after. They adore her.

Grandpa and Grandma are doing okay. I guess I should say hanging in there. Grandpa is having a few struggles but doing his best to stay on top of them.

Well, that's about all that's going on here. Take care, N.

BUSY DAY

It's been a busy day here. Rob and I went shooting with his brother and his girlfriend this morning. That was fun but I'm not sure I'll ever hear again. Lol! I forgot how loud shooting ranges can be--and that was with ear plugs in!

After that we went to lunch and then Julie and the kids and I went to a campaign celebration for our favorite Senate candidate Dan Liljenquist. We had a good time there as well. We are helping on his campaign and it was fun to see the large number of volunteers he has.

Finally, we came home and Rob had mowed the yard and had a fire going out back so we roasted hotdogs and marshmallows and just vegged for the rest of the night. Seems like we had been running all day long.

Grandpa and Grandma are doing okay. Grandpa had been up at his desk working too long so he was hurting a little bit and had gone to bed a bit early. Other than that, things are good with them.

Well, other than the October weather we've had the last few days there really isn't anything new to report. Night all.

THANKS!

It was a VERY HAPPY day here! Right after getting Dad's good news we, of course, went right out to EAT to celebrate! Haha! Afterwards, we were all exhausted, mostly from the emotion of it all so we pretty much came home and dropped for the rest of the day. I'm sure we will recover ourselves tomorrow but for today we are happy, full and sleepy! Thanks again everyone for your love, support and prayers. We love you!

GREAT NEWS!

Thank you SO MUCH everyone for your prayers for my Dad. He just went for his follow up test and we just learned that he passed it! Whew! Our Father in Heaven is amazing! He hears and answers our prayers. I appreciate so much all of you who joined us in prayer. Love you so much!

GIANT PIZZAS--YUMMY

I actually started exercising again the last couple of days. Hopefully, it is a new trend. I walked 5 miles yesterday and today. I know I won't be able to do that everyday but I hope I can at least get back to where I can exercise a little every day.

Then, of course, tonight Rob's company sponsored a dinner at one of our favorite pizza places. They make huge 23" pieces with thick crust. They are the biggest pizza's I've ever seen. Yummy. Sure didn't do much for my new eating plan but tasted great!

Tomorrow is Dad's test. We are all praying really hard he can pass it. Please remember him in your prayers too. I will post a report on here as soon as we know something. Thanks all.

MY DAD

I think we are all feeling a bit more positive today. We started out the day with a call from Rev. Paul Taylor, Mom and Dad's minister from Brick Chapel. They have him on the job now praying for Dad. Next Rob and his brother Steve gave Dad a blessing. All in all, I think we feel more hopeful today that things will be okay than we did yesterday. Things seemed a little frightening and bleak yesterday, maybe because it all came on so sudden--and out of the blue. Today, it felt more like the sun was poking around the corner.

I know one thing and that is when there has been a battle to win in my Dad's life no one could out think him or out strategize him. He was going to figure out a way to win that battle -- and he always has. My Dad is a fighter and he will lick this thing. You can do this Dad, I know you can and will. I love you!

AN APPLE A DAY . . . REALLY . . . IF IT WERE ONLY THAT SIMPLE!

Lots of doctors today; not so much good news. Rob went to a urologist and found out that he did, indeed, have kidney stones. It looked like he had passed the worst one but he still has two stones inside, a one and two millimeter stone--one of each. The doc thinks the one millimeter one will pass on its own and the two millimeter one might pass on its own. If not, it will have to be taken out or blasted. Yay! Not.

The urologist told Rob the number one culprit of his stones is most likely the Tums and he takes for antacid. Oh my. I guess it's partly the calcium in them. I'm not sure what else but he can't take them at all anymore. The second big contributor is diet soda. Oops. I'm afraid I got him started on those. Well, there went his whole day.

After that appointment, Rob headed to his family doctor for a quick checkup and everything else seems to be okay. At least that's something.

Grandpa had some tests today and is having some more on Thursday. Seems like he's overproducing saliva and it makes it difficult for him to swallow at times. With Parkinson's and Post Polio it seems like it's always something! We would love to have your prayers for him as he goes through these tests and probably some therapy to help strengthen his throat or trachea muscles.

Well, that's pretty much the news for the day. I will keep you posted on things. Thanks all. Night.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY SISTER!

Today was my baby sister's 50th birthday. Happy Birthday Sarah! Mom and Dad went up yesterday (Saturday) to celebrate with her and then stayed through part of today and headed back home. They all had a fun time and enjoyed themselves. I'm glad they were able to go and it was nice for Sarah to have them there.

Yesterday Rob and I went and worked the State Republican Caucus for one of the candidates for State Senate, Dan Liljenquist who is an amazing man. He managed to eek out an opportunity to run in the primary against Senator Orrin Hatch. Our caucus system is strange here. If a candidate gets 60 percent in caucus then he gets to run unopposed in the general. Senator Hatch got 59.19 % and Dan got 49.79 % so there is going to be a primary. This is something Senator Hatch was hoping not to have as many of the voters are tired of him. You see he could legally pay the delegates to vote for him; the voters--not so much. :)

Anyway, we are excited for a new week. Jono has his 10 day check-up this week to see how he is doing. Rob had another bout yesterday and today with kidney stones so he will be in checking those out and the rest of us will hopefully just be laying low and not causing any problems at all. Lol!

MIGRAINE MAMA

Sorry I didn't blog yesterday. I had a bad migraine which continued into this morning. Thank goodness for an understanding husband and teenage daughter who helped out a ton with the little ones. I was able to get some good rest last night and today that helped my head feel better.

Tonight I went to Relief Society meeting (church women's organization)with a friend that was really good. We listened to a couple of speakers and then had refreshments. The speakers were really wonderful. They spoke about how important our roles as mother's are and what an influence we can make on society by what we do in our homes and families. It's so true. I've always loved the quote; "The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world." I look around at where our society and country is falling apart and I think you really can trace it back to where "family" became less of a focus.
People would have you believe it doesn't matter who raises a child or what the environment is like--but it matters a lot for the well-being of that child.

I came away from that meeting knowing I have a lot more to do to be the Mom I want and need to be. I also came away determined to become that Mom. :)

AN EVENING OUT! YAY!

Rob and I went on a double date tonight with his brother and his girlfriend. We went to dinner and really enjoyed ourselves. I'm not sure if it was the company or just getting out of the house but it was a really nice evening. Although, we came home to find Julie, who had been babysitting for us, looking a lot like I do at the end of each day--hair torn out, eyes bouncing up and down, barely able to form words into a sentence. I call it "Two Toddler Syndrome"--and she only had them for two hours! Lol!

CAN MOMMY HAVE A TIME OUT PLEASE?

I started out my day today with four toddlers at 8:00 a.m.--and may I say--that is just wrong on the face of it! The decibel level was off the charts! At one point I went down into Grandma and Grandpa's bedroom, shut the door and said, "I need a timeout!" Grandpa just looked at me and said, "I need one too and I've been down here the whole time!" Lol!

I had my own two and my friend's two kids because she had a couple of doctor appointments. So, I had them from 8:00 a.m. until around 12:30 p.m. - I was definitely ready for a time out by the time it was just back to having my own kids. Actually, it is a great system we have. We help each other out a lot by watching each other's kids. It can be a little overwhelming some day's though since we both have young kids near the same age.

For those of you who may know him, my cousin Ned Klebusch is having his lung operated on this Friday. He has to have part of his right upper lobe removed. They found a growth on it that needs to come out and are just going to remove that part of his lung. They think it will be just fine after they take it off. Apparently, you use the lower part of your lungs to do most of your breathing with so they don't think it will affect his breathing too much. Anyway, it would be terrific if you would keep him in your prayers.

Jono is still improving. I was able to let him play outside a bit today and he did okay. He is still taking meds and having breathing treatments but his progress is coming along.

Not much else happening here. Night all.

WEEKEND REVIEW

Today was my Sunday to teach Sunday School so Rob stayed home with Jonathon. Poor little guy, he just begs to go to church--or anywhere for that matter. It's so hard to have to keep him at home when he wants to go like everyone else. He is too young to understand the why's--so trying to explain it to him does no goo. I really hope and pray he will grow out of this asthma. Any prayers you would like to donate toward this end would be so appreciated.

It started to warm back up a little today. It was in the upper fifties again and more of our tulips and daffodils were in bloom. I'm so glad they are hearty since yesterday we had hail coming down and some frigid temps! I guess the weather can't make up its mind.

We spent Saturday running errands and trying to get things done around the house and yard. Seems like there is always so much to do that I don't feel like anything really gets accomplished.

My baby sister Sarah is turning 50 at the end of this week. Mom and Dad are planning a jaunt to her house for her birthday which is a little over two hours from here. Gads, when did we all get so old? Don't answer that. Lol! Night all.

A BETTER DAY

Today was a better day. This morning Jonathon's breathing was still kind of rough but by afternoon it had settled down. He isn't completely out of the woods yet but he is doing so much better than yesterday. It was a pretty long night last night because I had to give him breathing treatments through the night and Rob was out of town. Jono didn't sleep really well because the treatments tend to pump him up and make him hyper. When I finally was able to settle him down and and we were both able to fall asleep, Carly woke up and needed some attention--that was around 4:00 in the morning. Did I mention it was a long night that was very short on sleep? I was so happy to see Rob when he walked in the door! Thankfully, he sent me to my room for a nap and took over. He is such a great husband and father. I LOVE HIM!

Grandpa and Grandma got out today to get Grandpa a haircut and run some errands. Not much else going on here.

Well, this girl is going to bed. Night all.

BUMMER OF A DAY

This has not been the best day. When Jono woke up this morning his breathing was really junky again. Poor little guy. He has gotten so much better and then out of no where this hits again. His normal treatments weren't helping much so by 1:00 I called the doctor and they had me bring him right in. I've had to keep a close eye on him all day and will have the monitor on him all night for sure. We are not sure if it's viral or a secondary infection causing his problem but regardless the doctor said I have a severely asthmatic child. That is just not the news you want to hear as a parent. We were so hoping he would grow out of this--and that doesn't make it sound like there is much hope he will.

On the positive side, at least we caught this episode early enough (I hope) to be able to take care of him here at home and not have to hospitalize him. I guess I will try to be happy with small victories for now.

I LOVE SPRING!

Another nice day today. I let the kids play outside this morning. It was actually hot! Then this afternoon I decided I would go out and mow the lawn for the first time. I didn't realize, though, how many sticks we still had in the yard from all of the wind storms. I spent over an hour just picking up sticks. Then when I finally went to start the mower, it was dead. We got a brand new battery for it last year, too. So, that doesn't make a lot of sense--but, oh well. I will let hubby worry about what to do with that.

It started to cool down not long after I came in and then we had a pretty good rain storm the rest of the night. Oh, and my tulips started coming out today. Lots of them. Peach, Pink, Purple. I love them! We have daffodils, ground phlox and a few other things starting to bloom too. So pretty! I LOVE SPRING!

OH, WHAT A BEAUTIFUL DAY!

Wow, today was gorgeous! There was even a nice breeze blowing. When I picked Carly up from pre-school they had made kites and even though, they weren't really meant to fly hers kind of did! She loved it!

I took the kids to a friend's house for lunch and to play. As we were leaving Jono decided to be a little pill and took off running! I got some good exercise chasing him around the block! Thank goodness he turned up someone's sidewalk into their backyard and found a swingset instead of continuing on the regular sidewalk or into the road. Well, at least no need to go to the gym today. :/ lol!

The other little trick he has learned is opening doors and going out them! We are on constant alert these days. Luckily, Daddy is a great handy man and has spent the last several days installing extra door security for us and hopefully, futility for him! He is a determined little boy. Maybe I should just say -- he is a little "boy." Boys are so different to raise than girls! Wow!

Well, I am worn out. Must rest up for whatever he has planned for tomorrow. :) More later.

MY EASTER GIRLS

Julie and Carly--aren't they gorgeous? I sure think so! Love these two girls so very much!

OUR EASTER SUNDAY

Rob, Julie and Carly went to church today. Carly and Julie looked so cute all dressed up for Easter. I will put pictures on tomorrow. It was my week to be home with Jono so we hung out together.

Grandma and I cooked a meal together. We made a ham, sour cream potatoes, rolls, broccoli cheese casserole and some desserts. Dinner was yummy. Grandpa even came upstairs for it and Megan came over too.

We had a little family home evening with the kids and taught the kids about Easter--Christ's resurrection and after that we had a little Easter egg hunt for them downstairs. We didn't want the real meaning of Easter to get lost on the Easter Bunny so we decided to have our lesson first and let the Easter Bunny come last. It seemed to work out just right.

We had a nice day with everyone. Hope your Easter was good too. Take care.

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE

Here's wishing you all a wonderful Easter Sunday! I'm so grateful for the resurrection of my Savior and this day we have to celebrate his life, love, sacrifice and resurrection for us. I hope you have this knowledge and blessing in your life. I also hope the Easter Bunny doesn't pass you by. Happy Easter! :)

DADDY'S MIMIC

Rob got home late this afternoon after spending most of the week (on and off) in Idaho working. It was nice to see his face. It was even nicer when he said, "I'm taking you out to dinner." We had a nice evening together, just the two of us. We went to dinner and then ran a few errands. We got stuff to do our own little Easter egg hunt for the kids.

When we got home Julie and the kids were watching a movie so Rob and I sat down to watch with them. Rob put his arm around me and Jono jumped up in my lap. After a few minutes Rob got up and went downstairs to grab something. When he left, Jono climbed off my lap and sat down beside me where Rob had been sitting. Next thing I knew Jono had reached his arm up around me so he could do what Dad had been doing, only it was a much longer stretch for him. It was so cute that he wanted to mimic Daddy. It had to be really uncomfortable for him but he left his arm up around me for about 5 minutes. What a sweet little boy! (I need to remember that next time he's acting like a typical two-year old!)

I got a perm today. I look a bit like a fuzzy poodle right now. Hopefully with a few weeks and a trim or two, I will look a bit more like myself! Lol! I will wait a while to post any pictures of my new 'doo. Ha! Night all.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MEGAN!

We celebrated Megan's 25th birthday yesterday! I had so much going on I didn't manage to get a blog written. Rob ended up not getting back from Idaho and Julie ended up working so it was up to Grandma and Grandpa and the little ones and me to throw the party. One of her close friend's came too. We had pizza, cake and ice cream--and of course, presents! I can't believe she's 25! Time flies! Anyway, Happy Birthday Megs! I love you!

Today, I took Jonathon to a new pediatric allergist today. We found he does have some seasonal and animal allergies and that his peanut allergy is still really high. We are trying him on a new controller medicine for his asthma and the doc thinks it will be a better controller than the one we have had him on. I just haven't really ever felt like we truly had good control of his asthma yet, so I am hoping this new doctor can help us get things figured out. He did tell me that most of the time when kids have acute attacks it is because of respiratory infections. That has been the case with Jonathon so far at least. I really, really want to find a way to keep those infections at bay.

While I was in the office with Jono trying to keep his hands busy so he wouldn't scratch his back during the allergy testing I was letting him look at the pictures on my phone. I found this really cute picture I took of Carly the other day while she was modeling. I forgot I'd taken it but I think she looks so sweet in it.

Julie has been a big help this week. It's been so nice to have her home on Spring Break. She's also been able to get some extra work hours in which she's been glad about as it helps her college fund. Well, better get some sleep. Night all.

SO, SO, SO TRUE!

Say what you want about our President . . . but he sure can sell firearms. Lol!

C'MON SPRING - SPRING ALREADY!

Rob spent the day in Idaho working but got back this evening. Julie is on spring break this week. It's nice to have her around. We ran errands, got her a hair cut and just hung out. She had to work this evening. Grandma and Grandpa just did paperwork today and worked on the computer. Really, we were a pretty boring bunch.

It looked really warm out but when we ventured out I had to grab jackets as it was much colder than it seemed. I guess it didn't get above 50 degrees today. I have one daffodil almost in bloom and several tulips on the way. I am so hoping it doesn't frost or snow again. I want to see my spring flowers bloom! I love SPRING!

APRIL'S FIRST DAY

Had a really lazy Sunday today. Stayed home and watched General Conference. Took a nice long nap. Watched "The Help" before we went to bed. I got the movie for Christmas and it's taken this long to watch it because I knew it was going to be a hard movie to watch. I wanted to see it but I'm really sensitive to people being mistreated or hurt--especially innocent people. I liked the movie but it made me pretty emotional.

Well, gotta get to bed. Morning isn't too far off. :)

SATURDAY AT OUR HOUSE

We spent the day cleaning the house and the garage as we listened to General Conference. (General Conference is our Church's semi-annual meeting from S.L.C. where our leaders speak and give counsel to us.) We got quite a bit done around the house. Although, it is a bit frustrating with two little ones going around behind you undoing a lot of what you are doing! Such a good thing they are cute!

Mom mentioned to me today that she thought Dad's new Parkinson's meds were starting to help a little. She thinks they have both noticed him being able to move a bit more on his own. That is great news!

Watched a movie with Rob and Julie tonight after we put the kids down. That was kind of fun. We haven't done that for a while.

We have a high wind warning again tonight. Although this one is only 45-50 mph. That is high but not as high as the one that did all the damage last time. It was between 60-75 mph. Sure hope this wind doesn't cause any problems to anyone.

Well, better get to bed. Those little ones get up early!

THE BEST NEWS TODAY . . .

Is that there is NO news today. Everything is quiet on the home front! Yay! Got through the day without any major hiccups from our little two year old. He did just fine today. We even had an early neighborhood Easter egg hunt and he was fairly good for that. Grandpa and Grandma are good. So, there really just is no news and sometimes that is the best news of all! Happy days!

JUST WHEN I WAS READY FOR A BORING EVENING AT HOME . . .

Jonathon got into something he shouldn't have and we ended up back at the emergency room. Gah! After a cup of charcoal mixed with chocolate milk, an EKG, a few blood tests, the threat of him being admitted and watched overnight and a whole bunch of monitoring and worrying--everything came back normal and they let us bring him home.

I'd say this kid is going to turn my hair gray before he gets out of these "terrible two's" but I think we all know that would be ridiculous, right? I mean, I'm much too young to go gray--O.K., O.K., what I really meant is we all know I'm already covering up those darn gray hairs! Anyway, we are SO happy our little guy is alright. It was a pretty good scare for all of us and a good reminder he is growing up and able to get into more things than he used to. Does anyone know, do they make handcuffs for two year olds? Just kidding. Lol! :)

AGE THREE, COME TO ME!

I had a rough day today. :( Not only was I not feeling well but the kids were acting up quite a bit. On top of that, Rob had a long day and was only home for 5 minutes before he had to leave for an evening meeting so I didn't get a break from them (nor them from me)and that didn't help. It seemed like it was just one tantrum after the other all day long. I've renamed our home "Timeouts "R" US" and it's only now at the end of the day I realize I should have given me the timeouts! What was I thinking?! I think a nice walk around the block would have done my mind a world of good!

Finally around 8:45 p.m. Daddy came home and helped me finish getting the kiddos in bed. As soon as we got them down we headed to bed ourselves. We were both so wiped out. As we went to fall into our beds, much to our dismay, we discovered that Jono had opened a large water bottle and dumped it out on my side of the bed. (This is the kind of stuff he's done all day long! Remember he's two!) I just about cried. The mattress, blankets, sheets--everything was sopping wet.

Rob offered to go sleep on the couch and let me have his side of the bed but I said we could put towels down or something. I was just about to have him help me lift the mattress up to see if the water had gone all the way through to the box springs and floor when Rob remembered we had a zippered on pillow top. Sure enough we checked it and the water had all gathered in the pillow top. We were able to zip it off and throw it in the dryer. The sheets, covers and blankets will have to be washed and dried but luckily we have other sets we were able to put on so we won't have to do it tonight. Don't know what I'm going to do with this boy! I thought Carly's terrible two's were bad--but they were nothing compared to what this little guy thinks of and pulls off! I'm afraid we are in for it! Age three--come to me! LOL!

MOMMY AND CARLY'S COLORFUL EVENING

Carly had another opportunity to go and model for Taylor Joelle tonight (Tuesday) and had a lot of fun. They were preparing their advertising for their new line of pettiskirts and wow, was they ever colorful! Lots of little girls in a rainbow of colors and bunches of giggles and wiggles. What a cute shoot! I think the ads will turn out adorable! In the meantime, I know one little girl who came home all dressed in purple--and very excited about the new pettiskirt, flower barrette and matching jewelry she earned for being such a good model! If you want to see all the cute girls and boys clothes and other boutique items this cute online site carries, check them out at taylorjoelle.com. It's such a creative, fun boutique for babies, toddlers and now kids up to ages 6 and 8 on some clothes items. I LOVE their site! Most of all--I'm in love with their CUTEST model!

FAMILY FRIENDS

Some good friends came to visit last week before all of our hospital stress. I didn't manage to get the photos up. Jono was already in bed but here are a couple of photo's of Carly with Aunt Maren and Aunt Tammie. Love you two!

SENDING HAPPY THOUGHTS YOUR WAY

Jono seems like he is getting a little stronger every day. We are not taking anything for granted though, and we certainly aren't taking any chances with him. He is staying home! No leaving the house for any reason other than a doctor visit. Poor little guy is basically under house arrest. It's the only way we know to keep him healthy, though. We have truly learned our lesson now.

We didn't do much of anything today--other than try to recuperate from our exhausting week. Grandma came upstairs and made dinner and some cookies, which was really nice of her considering she was probably as tired as the rest of us. I think Grandpa requested the cookies.

Hopefully, we will have a quiet week here with nothing to report but sunshine and a light breeze. Lol! That would be nice. Wishing you the same. :)

HOME WITH JONO

Jono has had a pretty good day. I think the long term meds have kicked in and he is doing a lot better. We are still giving him multiple breathing treatments but his breathing isn't so labored in between. It is such a relief to see have him home and feeling better.

It had started getting warmer and we had let our guard down a little and started letting him go places with us. It's so hard to keep him in all winter long. He gets so frustrated with being house-bound and wants to go bye-bye with us. He seems really healthy and strong generally and so it's easy to forget how easily he gets ill--especially when it is warming up outside. The docs reminded us that March and April are the worst time for RSV, Pneumonia, Bronchiolitis and other lung disorders for children. They are just running rampant right now. It was just a year ago that he was in the hospital for nearly the same thing. I keep hoping he will grow out of this--poor little guy.

When he was in the hospital Jono was pretty much tethered to the bed with all kinds of cords and monitors but as he was being dismissed he found all these fun kid things to do out in the hallway. If only--he'd been able to wander that far, he might not have hated the hospital so much! Lol! Here are some pictures of his hospital stay--and go! lol! Boy was he happy to leave!

A "JONO" UPDATE

They let us bring Jono home tonight around 7:00. He is still pretty tenuous and his breathing wears down quickly but we are so glad to have him home! He is even happier to be home. It was so sad to be in the hospital with him and have him begging me to take him home. He hates that place--even though they are really nice to him. He just doesn't like all the poking and prodding they have to do to treat him. I wouldn't either, I guess.

I will write more tomorrow. For now, we have him all tucked in and sleeping and we are two tired parents who are going to do the same for ourselves. Night all.

OUR LITTLE GUY

I just barely finished writing last night when I heard Jonathon crying and went in to his bedroom only to hear his breathing out of control. Rob and I grabbed him and drove as fast as we could to the E.R. and it's been a whirlwind ever since. They tried everything they could to get his breathing under control without having to admit him until 4:00 a.m. when they decided they needed to admit him in order to solve it. It's been a rough day but it's almost 11 p.m. now and I think maybe they are beginning to get a handle on things. They found out he has bronchialitis again. That's what he got this time last year that landed him in the hospital for almost a week. We are hopeful he will be able to get over this quickly. They have him on every treatment you can imagine. Poor little guy is so sad to be in the hospital. He just wants to come home. Please say a prayer or two for him today. Thanks all.

TODAY'S ADVENTURE

My friend Robin and I went on an adventure today. Mostly, the adventure was seeing if we could survive a long drive with a one year old, two two-year olds and a four year old. A few weeks ago Robin and I had gone to a cannery and canned a bunch of product and we needed to go and pick it up today. We loaded a bunch of heavy boxes in my van while the kids ran around--or more accurately--ran away from us--and dared us to catch them. On the way home we stopped and grabbed some lunch and took them to a park to eat and play. They liked that part. We were hoping it would tire them out for the hour drive home, but only one of them fell asleep on the way home and it wasn't one of mine.

We got home just in time for Robin to run carpool for her other kids. In fact, she was late to get one of them so I ran to get him while she ran to get the others. When I got back with him, I started to unload the boxes but they had shifted during our drive. I put my hand up to keep one of them from falling out of the back of the van and it came crashing down on my thumb and bent it all the way backward. My thumb actually touched the back of my hand. It happened really fast-but felt like I was watching in slow-motion. It was probably shock. It hurt a ton and swelled really fast! Luckily, it is my left hand-although, I'm finding I use my left hand a lot more than I realized--especially that little opposable thumb. I was able to get into the doc but they couldn't x-ray it today so I need to go back in the morning.

On top of that Jono wasn't feeling well when we got home. His breathing was off and before the night was over he threw up a bunch of times. So, I'm just gonna say our adventure was more than I bargained for. I sure hope tomorrow is a better adventure. Lol!

p.s. Grandpa had his checkup with his Parkinson's doc today. It went well and they are going to try some new things to see if they can help him get some better movement going. :0

SPRING IS TIP-TOEING ITS WAY HERE

Nothing much happened here today. Other than Carly going to pre-school and a few errands getting run. I did take a log nap.

Grandpa went to PT and he says he set a record. He did all of his reps in 55 minutes. He came home pretty darn tired, though. But I'm guessing it was worth it to him.

I have a bunch of tulips coming up! Yay! Nothing in bloom yet, but I see a few more tulips breaking through every day. I think Spring is starting to tip-toe its way here. Spring is my favorite season and I can't wait until there are spring flowers and colors everywhere!

MAGIC HANDS

I went and got a massage today. Mom and Dad gave it to me for my birthday but I hadn't gotten it scheduled until now. It was really good. My massuese has magic hands. I always have them do the deep tissue massages to help with my migraines. So they are a bit tender afterward and once in a while I even end up a little nauseous with all the toxins that get released--but it is worth it in the end. I had lots of knots that needed working out. I still need to drink more water. More than anything, it made me tired. I just wanted to sleep when I was done.

I didn't feel much like cooking after that so we got pizza for dinner. That made the kids happy. And we even got them in bed a little early tonight, which made me happy! Double win!! Lol!

THE SEVENTH DAY

Yesterday I took the kids to their first birthday party. The mom who was giving it got sick and the dad and older daughter did their best to throw the party in her place. They did a pretty good job considering they had a bunch of whiny two, three and four year old's to work with. Trying to play games and keep that mix of toddlers interested for a couple of hours was no picnic!

I thought Carly and Jono would LOVE going to a birthday party but they both got shy and timid and it was real work for me to get them to join in with the other kids. I was really surprised. I think it will be a while before we attempt it again.

Today we went to church. It was my day to teach and I think my lesson went pretty well. It was on the Doctrine of Christ. We talked about repentance, baptism, the gift of the Holy Ghost, remission of sins, taking upon us Christ's name, doing good and enduring to the end. Gee, that seemed a lot easier than my lesson--and it even went quicker. :)

This afternoon Rob and I took a long nap while the kid's napped. That was long overdue. We have both been so tired. Julie was nice enough to cook dinner for everyone. She made Chicken Tetrazzini from scratch and it was delicious. It is one of Carly's favorite meals, too.

Grandma and Grandpa pretty much just rested today, too. Everybody is doing fine. Nothing much to report. Take care everyone.

HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY!

Stupendous, Marvelous, Wonderful, Terrific . . . Well, you get the idea, the news was AMAZING! No sign of cancer! (Yes, I do know you are supposed to capitalize the word cancer. I don't do it on purpose. I give it no respect.) Mom's first check-up was cancer free!! There was no sign of it. They are doing a urine check for cells--just to be sure but it looks GREAT! He gave her a six month check up window which is really good because they told her if there were problems they would have to check her every three months. So, now as long as the urine test comes back clean they don't need to see her back until September! We are so HAPPY here! I may have to dance on the table or something! Lol!

CAUCUS

I went to my first CAUCUS tonight. Ever. Wow. I'm searching for the word I want, I mean the one besides claustrophobic. I'm also wondering what's wrong with the plain old Primary system. There were 104 people in our precinct caucus tonight. That was up from ten two years ago and three two years before that. Apparently, a letter from church officials asking congregations to please participate in local caucuses went a long way toward participation.

Still, to me, it seems a backward and tedious process. It was long, arduous, frustrating and in the end I don't feel my views are going to be represented--which leads me back to frustrating. I would rather just vote in a primary. Could someone please make sense of the caucus system to me because to me it just seems like nonsense.

I do want to say I am very proud of my lovely Julie who ran to be a state delegate tonight. While she did not win she did a marvelous job and came in one vote short of making it to alternate. Julie was the only thing that made sense about caucus tonight. Love you Julie!

WEDNESDAY'S MONDAY!

It's been a long and not so great day. It's after 12:30 a.m. now so this will be short. The kids were on one all day long. Rob had to work late and nothing seemed to go right today. If I didn't know better I would have thought it was a Monday. Silly me, I had some shopping to do and I took a couple toddlers with me into Walmart. Gah! Yah, that won't happen again for a long time. I don't think I"ll need anything that badly ever again! Lol!

MY LITTLE GUY DOESN'T FEEL GOOD

Can't you just tell by those eyes? Poor little thing. That's not to say he doesn't look just "Mah-vah-lous" in this hat he picked out and obviously put on correctly on his head! Lol!

IS SPRING SPRINGING?

What a beautiful day! I actually took the kids out tonight and let them ride their little bike and trike over to a friend's house. They were so happy! I love Spring. I saw tulip leaves coming up all over the neighborhood. We planted bulbs just before Winter so hopefully we will have some too! Carly and I planted several dozen of different colors and some other spring flowers so it will be fun to see what actually comes up. We can hardly wait!

Mom's three month check-up since her bladder cancer surgery is coming up on Friday. She will have several tests and we should get some results that same day. So please keep her in your prayers. We are very hopeful that things are going well.

Not much else going on. Hope you are having some of this terrific weather. Take care, Nancy

A SUMMER MARCH DAY

It was 70 degrees here today! Unbelievable! It would be nice if we could have a few more days like this. The kids would love to get out and play--and maybe I could wear them out so they would actually be tired for bedtime! It was kind of a quiet Sunday here. Well, except that Rob was on-call and he did get called out for several hours. So, I guess it wasn't too quiet for him.

I baked some boneless pork ribs and made pulled pork BBQ for sandwiches and we had a yummy and fairly easy dinner. I just pulled out the potato chips for a side and made some chocolate chip cookies for dessert and everyone was happy.

Carly got to wear one of her birthday dresses to church today. She was excited--and she looked darling. I, of course, have to post a picture or two. I'm not the least bit partial to her cuteness! Lol! Okay, humor me. :)

Well, here's hoping everyone has a wonderful week !

TURN MY CLOCK WHAT??

Why is it always more fun to fall back than to spring forward? The thought of getting up an hour earlier tomorrow is making me more exhausted than I already am! Or maybe it's the toddlers doing that--can't be sure!

Julie had her state tournament today. She didn't break through to move on to nationals but the experience was good for her. She is done with Debate for the year now. Yay! They spend a ton of time away from home when they do tournaments. We are happy to have her back. I'm sure her work is too.

Jono had a bit of a breathing issue this morning so it was back to double treatments. We run tha risk any time we take him out. It's so frustrating. At least the treatments seemed to take care of it. He also had a nearly naked issue. For some reason he has decided it is a good thing to disrobe in his crib. Whenever we go in to get him up we find him hiding beneath the covers with only a diaper on. Unfortunately, the second time this happened today--after his nap, he had undone one side of the diaper as well and wet all the blankets! Rawr! The frustrating part is he has figured out how to get out of the backwards pajamas! Now what do we do? He was almost potty trained and decided he didn't want to play anymore. Gah!

It was a pretty nice day here. The temps were in the mid-fifties. It would be nice if the warm weather were here to stay. Guess we will have to wait and see. Well, no more news for today. Night all.

TUBING FUN!

I tried to post last night but our system wasn't working for some reason. It wouldn't go through and I never could get it to work. So, I will try again tonight.

We had a full day today. We met up with Rob's brother and his family and took all of our kids snow tubing today. It was Carly and Jono's first time to go. Julie has been several times. We went to a place that has a tube lift (kind of like a ski lift) that carries you on your tube up to the top of the hill. Then you get to ride your tube down the hill. It is really fun and the kids loved it! It was about an hour and a half drive but it was worth it.

After that we went to a cool burger and shake place and it was so nice that were able to eat outside. Then we came home, changed clothes and went over to the church for volleyball. It was a fun, busy day! Although, I'm certain the parents are more tired than the kids!

Julie has her state competition tomorrow! So, cross your fingers for her! She starts really early and goes until she stops moving forward (or placing) toward nationals.

Grandpa didn't have a really good day today. He had PT but he wore out really quickly. His legs are giving him a run for his money. He's hanging in there, though. I talked to Grandma on the phone while we were gone and she said he was really pale and I went down and talked to him about 11 p.m. when we got home and he looked a lot better. The color was back in his face and he seemed better. I think he tends to over due it.

Well, that's the report from here.

OUR DAY

Spent the day home with the kids and mom and dad. I  just basically did laundry and caught up on housework. Tonight I went with Julie to a local political meeting on how Caucuses work. Julie is going to run to be a state delegate and needed to understand the process. It's coming up really quickly here so she's got to get moving on it. She's pretty excited about doing it. I hope she can win. It would be a great experience for her.

We had several inches of snow overnight. The ground was covered when we woke up this morning. By about 2:00 p.m. the sun was out and most of it was melted off. It's still pretty cold but not near as treacherous out. Hopefully, we can get some warm days back soon. That would be delightful! :)

JONO IN ACTION!

ME AND MY BABY BOY

Sure love this little guy! What a little spitfire!

GIVE ME SOME CHOCOLATE AND NO ONE GETS HURT!

Carly gave her first talk today in Primary opening exercises. (That's the pre-Sunday school program where all the young kids gather to have a short message and sing songs before going to their individual classes for those of you who don't go to our church.) Her talk was a two and half minutes and we practiced it three times last night and two this morning. She did really well last night but this morning she wasn't so sure she could do it. We had a couple small meltdowns the last time we practiced it--but she pulled it together.

Her talk was about knowing Jesus loves her and being good--listening and being obedient. I helped her so she didn't have to memorize it. One little boy gave a prayer, another little girl gave a scripture and then Carly gave her talk. They all did such a good. When Carly's turn came--she did perfect! I was so proud of her. She didn't act scared at all. All I could think was "My four year old is so grown up!"

We had barely gotten home from church when she turned to me and said; "Mommy, can I have the whole candy bar you promised me now?" Hahaha! Ooops! That explains the sudden turn around from the morning nervousnes and meltdowns to the perfect performance! I forgot I offered her a WHOLE Candy bar (all to herself) if she would do it without crying! CHOCOLATE--WORKS EVERYTIME! LOL!

COOKIE CUTTER KIDS

Here are a couple photos from our visit to get Jono's hair cut. It was a really cute place called Cookie Cutters and the kids loved it! I'm sure you can see why!

MORE WHITE STUFF

Since it took me thirty minutes to get into my blog to write tonight I will make this short. I am still not sure if I forgot my password or if something in the system screwed up. I hate having to have a million password for everything. I guess it keeps our Internet stuff safer though.

I took Jono to get his hair cut today and it is so cute. I will post a picture tomorrow. I went to this cute children's hair salon and he got to pick a car, plane, firetruck, motorcycle or boat to sit in while he got his hair cut. He picked a police car. They gave the kids a balloon and sucker at the end. It also had a small play place in it for kids who are waiting. It was really cute. He and Carly really loved it.

Grandma got her hair done today too. Although, I think her chair wasn't near as cute. I'm pretty sure it does go up and down, though. I'm sure Jono would have loved that additional feature!

We got about 3 inches of snow and are getting more at the moment. Don't know what the end result will be. Only know that it is very cold. I will be glad to see the sunshine and tulips in the spring! Well, that's all for today. Night all.

TODAY'S STUFF

Julie hurt her finger today in gym class. She thought she broke it so I took her to the docter to have it looked at and X-rayed. Turned out it was just a jam but those usually hurt worse than breaks. Of course it is the hand she uses most. She had to work tonight and it was pretty uncomfortable but she made it through.

It snowed pretty hard tonight. I'd say we got about 3 inches on the ground before it died down. The streets are still drivable. Luckily they do a really good job doing of clearing streets here. It's still supposed to snow more tonight and tomorrow. Hopefully, it won't be more than we can handle.

Grandma is still pretty tired from her quick trip. She is starting to perk up a little--but going and coming that quickly without much rest would have made me want to sleep for a week. She is really glad she was able to go home and especially happy to see as many people as she was. Thanks to everyone for their kind expressions of love and sympathy at Louise's passing. We are very grateful for your love and support.

Well, this girlie is going to bed now. Night all.

AUNT SUSAN MAKES A HAPPY LITTLE GIRL!

My sister Susan made this adorable doll for Carly for her birthday. She also brought Carly a matching ribbon for her hair. Carly loves her new doll. I asked her what she named the doll and funny thing--the doll had her exact name--middle name included! Hahaha. It's also the first doll she has ever given a name. Anyway, thanks Aunt Susan for making this little girl very happy!

THE GUYS JUST HANGIN' OUT

GRANDMA'S HOME

Sorry I haven't written much this week. It's been a busy one with Grandma gone. I just want to write a real quick update and let you know that we just got her home safely from the airport. Whew! I am always so glad when anyone I love is safely on the ground after flying--especially these days.

Grandma is pretty tired. It was kind of a whirlwind trip. We are so glad she was able to go and be there with family for Louise's funeral. Again, thanks so much to my sister's, Susan and Sarah, because without their help I don't know how we would have been able to do it. They were so terrific. And--believe it or not - Dad even behaved himself! Seriously, he was really good the whole time Mom was gone! Lol!

I know there is more news to write and catch you up on but we are all exhausted so I will write more later. Love you all. N.

A CONVERSATION WITH MY 4 YEAR OLD

Her: "Mom, I got three wishes."

Me: "Really?"

Her: "I wished for a live unicorn and a pony."

Me: "Oh honey, I don't think you will get the unicorn because they aren't real; they are make-believe."

Her: "Oh, I'll be right back. I'm going to ask for more wishes--and I will just ask for the unicorn legs this time."

Me: "Alrighty then." Lol!

HOME! SWEET HOME!

We all got up at the crack of dawn (or so it felt)and got Grandma to the airport. Actually, my sweet husband drove the chariot--but Grandpa and I got up for moral support. I'm afraid we weren't much help otherwise. I don't think we even looked cute at that time of the morning so --yep, moral support was all we were good for. Lol!

Anyway, Grandma landed safely around 6:15 and then had an hour drive to be with family. It was a horribly long day for her and I know she had to be completely exhausted. She didn't get much sleep before she left and it was an emotional day. So, those of you back home who are within arms reach of her--please take good care of her for us, won't you?

Carly, Jono and I have been taking pretty good care of Grandpa today. If he tells you otherwise, well, I've been meaning to tell you about that Old-Timers he's been getting . . . Lol! Just kidding Dad! Susan came up this evening to help out and she is spending the night and tomorrow morning here. Then tomorrow afternoon the last of the cavalry rides in (that would be Sarah) and she is going to stay and help out until Sunday. I sure love and appreciate my sisters. I'm even considering letting one of them be the favorite for awhile. :)

WE LOVE YOU LOUISE

My Aunt Louise (my Mom's oldest sister) passed away very early this morning. She's been very ill for awhile now so it wasn't unexpected. Somehow still, we are never quite prepared to lose the ones we love.

I had a feeling last night as I was putting Carly to bed that we were going to lose Louise in the night. Carly picked up one of her little dolls and asked what her name was and I told her she hadn't given her one yet. I suggested she give her a name but she couldn't think of any. So off the top of my head I said, "Why don't you name her Louisa?" I don't know why I came up with that. It was unusual but it reminded me of the writer of Little Women, Louisa May Alcott as I said it. Carly apparently didn't like it because she immediately said, "No, let's name her "Louise." I said, "O.K." but as I did the thought and a feeling hit me that we were going to lose Louise tonight. Have you ever had something like that happen before? It wasn't eerie or unsettling. We'd been told a few days before that she might not make it through the week--so it wasn't prophetic. It was just a calm sense of knowing--and it was peaceful.

It's experiences like that that make it easier to let our loved ones go. I know there was great rejoicing on the other side today. Great reunions happened there that have been awaited for a long time and it makes me smile to know that even as we sorrow in our loss~somewhere there is great joy and rejoicing that one so loved has found her way home. We will miss you Louise. We love you.

LITTLE PITCHERS HAVE BIG EARS

Okay--they were just quick moments but the kids were kind of funny today. Jonathon woke up with the most atrocious breath. He was really darling when I got him out of bed. He woke up really happy and he was really cuddly and he said, "Mommy, My bike" like it was the most important thing in the world even though it was no where in sight. He'd obviously been thinking or dreaming about his little trike. However, when he said that right into my face his breath about knocked me over. Julie was home for the holiday today and I immediately said to her, "Jono's breath could knock you flat, Holy Crap" to which Jono did not miss a beat and very animatedly said HOLY CRAP! Golly jeepers Gomer, sometimes I forget to watch what I say!

Earlier in the morning I was making a fruit smoothie and I offered Carly her choice of chocolate milk or smoothie. She, of course, chose the chocolate milk. She asked for a taste of my smoothie though, and then told me it was good. She stood around for a minute afterward like she was giving it some thought and then said, "Mommy, chocolate milk is a kid's smoothie, isn't it?" Ya know, I frankly had to agree with her. :)

IT CAME! IT CAME!

Julie is walking on air! She got accepted to BYU! Nevermind that she's been accepted to four or five other universities--this is the only one she really had eyes for! Now, we are all hoping and praying for some of those scholarships she's been applying for to come through. Feel free to join us in our prayers. :)

We went to a stake meeting today for church--that translates to a big meeting in a large auditorium--no Sunday school classes. So, we dared to take all the kids--including Jono. We sat through two hours of meetings with them on our laps eating cheerios, pretzels, etc. and asking "is this over yet and can I get down and play?" Actually, they were pretty darn good for a meeting that long and I'm sure that stale to a child. One of my neighbors who didn't make it to the meeting asked me how it was and what they said. I told her that I thought it was a good meeting from what I heard but I didn't catch much, and that I'm sure my blessings were coming from being obedient and attending church today--not from hearing what was said. Lol!

Well, that's it for today. :)

PRAYERS FOR ONE WE LOVE, PLEASE . . .

We got some sad news today. We learned that my Aunt Louise, my mom's oldest sister, isn't doing very well. She hasn't been well for some time but she has not taken a turn for the worse. It's strange how life changes on a dime. Yesterday, Louise had a new great-grandbaby born into the world and today she is terribly ill. Please pray for comfort and peace for her and her family. She has a wonderful family and I know they are there doing everything they can for her but it still can't be easy for any of them. We love you Louise, Sheila, Steve, Darrell, Keith and families. We wish we oculd be there to help. Please know you are in our prayers. It's times like this that it's hard to be so far from home. We are thinking of you with much tenderness and love.

WELCOME NATHAN JOHN!

We were supposed to go snow tubing today with another part of our family but they forgot about it and didn't get work off. So, we had to reschedule our fun! Actually, it ended up being okay with me because I am still not over my cough and cold completely. It's landed in my chest and is much better than it was but just hasn't gone completely away.

Some exciting news! My cousin Sheila's daughter Lisa had her baby today! She had a healthy baby boy and they named him Nathan James! I'm so excited for them. Can't wait to see some pictures of him but I know he's a handsome little dude. Congrats Lisa and Eric!

Grandpa went to his PT today. Instead of being done like I thought he was, he decided to cut down to twice a week. He thought that three times a week was wearing him out too much. He thinks he is handling twice a week better.

Rob and I made a quick trip up to see Sarah and her family on Valentine's Day. We needed to return a dress Julie had borrowed from Caitlin and decided we had time that night so we ran up and met Sarah, Rich and Ian for dinner. We had a nice meal with them and then headed back.

Carly had a fun birthday. We had some of her friends over for cake and ice cream. She got some fun gifts but her favorite was the new bicycle with training wheels from Grandma and Grandpa. It was Jono's favorite too--unfortunately! Lol!

Well, not much else going on right now. Take care.

THE PARTY--IN PICTURES

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY GIRL!

My baby girl turns four today. It's hard to believe that much time has gone by. I won't say it's been a whirlwind, it hasn't, but it has gone far too quickly. The first picture is of the first time I held her. I can't begin to tell you what a true bundle of joy I held in my arms that day--and how much she has brought into our lives since. I'm sure she is a very typical but she is magical to me! Happy Birthday my sweet Carly! I love you so much!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

Hope your heart is filled with love today and hope you receive some in return. Love to all! N.

CRAZY WEATHER

The end of last week was so nice I thought Spring was coming. It was in the upper 50's and lower 60's Thursday and Friday. Even yesterday wasn't too cold. Today it was in the upper 30's and lower 40's. We had light rain most of the day and now it's lightly SNOWING! Darn. Well, I guess it is only February. I can't really expect Spring this early, but it would've been nice. :)

FEW THINGS

Grandpa had his last physical therapy today--at least for awhile. I think it's good that he's taking a break for awhile. It's helped his pain but every session wears him out really bad.

I spent the day hanging with the kids and running errands. Then tonight we went and watched Rob, Julie and Megan play volleyball. The kids ran around and played with other little kids whose parents were also playing and I just kept an eye on them and watched the game a bit. It was a nice litte break and Carly and Jono were happy to get out. They have felt a little housebound--especially Jono.

No big plans for tomorrow--just catch up stuff around the house. Carly turns four next week and we still have a few things to pull together for her birthday. I can't believe my baby girl is four already! Wow, that really did go fast! Well, gotta head to bed. Take care. :0

PROOF WE'RE GETTING OLD . . . OH MY!

So, maybe you'll remember I wrote this post a few months ago about FINALLY cleaning my ovens and being a little whiny that they weren't self-cleaning. A few minutes ago Rob called me in the kitchen and said, "Honey, just so you know these oven's are self-cleaning." I said, "Honey, I asked you that BEFORE I cleaned them a few months ago!" "Oh," he said, "Well, I just noticed this lock here and wondered what it was for and then looked on top and there are two buttons that say "Clean." I walked over and looked and sure enough, plain as day, there are those buttons that say "clean" right on the dashboard of the oven.

I can just see us in a few years. I will be calling for him -- and calling and calling. Finally, I will get exasperated and go looking. When I find him, I will say "Honey, I've been calling you for twenty minutes! I think you've lost your hearing completely!" Then he will gently say, "Honey, I've answered you every time you called! I think it's time we get you a hearing aid." Lol!

MR. WILL

This is a picture of us with Mr. Will. Will's was the first baptism we went to on Saturday. I love the "too large" suit on him--no doubt a hand-me-down from one of his handsome brothers. He is a real cutie and such a charmer, too. He was quite the little host at the after-party. He is an adopted nephew for me. I actually adopted his whole family. I just adore this kid! Love you Will!

I DO NOT LIKE IT SAM I AM . . .

Sorry, but I am not happy with the caucus results today. If you disagree with me, I'm sorry. It's my blog so I get to say my piece. I like Romney a lot. I saw him in action during the Salt Lake Olympics and I think he is a really good man and would do wonderful things for our country. I'm sad he did not win today. That's all I will say. I do not want to sound rabid--even though my parents raised me to be fairly rabid about politics. (Oh yes you did!) Lol!

MY CUTIE PIES

GRANDMA'S IN THE KITCHEN . . .

Grandma made us Beef Bourguignon today. It's a wonderful recipe we've had in the family for years but I've just forgotten about it and haven't made it in a long time. It's going on my list of favorites. Grandma also made some wonderful homemade rolls. Before the night was over Carly had eaten four of them. Good thing she made a double batch!

After church and a nap we all watched the commercials, uh, I mean the Superbowl! I didn't think the commercials lived up to the hype this year. But for me, I still thought they were better than the actual game. That's only because I have never really understood football. Now basketball I get! If it were a basketball game I would watch the game and not the commercials.

Everyone in the house except our toddlers seems to be dragging a bit. I am hoping this yuk we have passes pretty soon. It is never good when the toddlers have the upper hand. Lol!

Well, better get to bed. Night all.

WATER ANYONE?

We made it to both baptisms today. The first one was far enough away that we had to get up around 6:00 a.m. to get ready and get the kids ready so we had enough time to drive there before it started at 9:00 a.m. this morning. We got home from that one around 12:30 or so and had a little reprieve before the next one which started at 2:00. All in all it was a nice day. We got to spend it with a lot of family and friends that we haven't seen for a long time.

When we got home from the last one we all took naps. Tonight we watched a bit of basketball and then a movie as a family.

Grandma did some cooking today. I think she wore herself out a little. The house smelled really good when we got home. It's really nice to have another cook in the house. I guess Grandpa really got worn out at physical therapy yesterday. It has helped his hip pain quite a bit but it does take it's toll on him, too. He's only got a couple of more treatments before he is through--at least for now.

Jono's finally breathing better! He actually sounds normal again. Yay! Now to keep him away from germs for the rest of the winter! Wish I knew how to do that. If only . . .

Well, that's about it for today. Take care. :)

EARLY TO BED, EARLY TO RISE . . . MAKES ME MORE TIRED

Gotta get in bed early tonight. I have a couple of baptisms to go to tomorrow and they start early. We still haven't seen Julie yet so I don't know how her debate performance went. I hate how long these things go. It started right after school and it's nearly 10 pm and it's not over yet. Gah!

We had a high wind warning again this morning but I never heard the wind. I didn't see or hear about any damage so hopefully it passed us without causing any problems.

The kids actually were pretty good today. Neither of them ever took a nap but it wasn't for lack of trying. Some days it just goes like that.

Well, not much else to report. Think I will head to bed. Night. :0

CUDDLES WITH JONO

Carly had pre-school this morning and I had Jono all to myself. I love these mornings and I think he does, too. He is a different child when he is by himself. He isn't competing for attention and so he is much calmer and just lays in my arms and lets me read to him or hold him. I love it when he cuddles with me and he is a great cuddler!

Carly had fun at pre-school. They learned about Ground-hog day and made some cute things. Then came home and played with Jono and ate lunch before nap.

This afternoon and evening I helped Julie with some debate prep. She has a debate tomorrow and I think she has a really good piece.

Grandma got her hair done today and Grandpa has physical therapy tomorrow. I also have a dr. appt. tomorrow afternoon. It's going to be a busy day. Guess I'd better get some sleep. Hope you had a great day!

OUT OF THE MOUTHS OF, UM, TODDLERS

Our kids love Batman. I mean the OLD Batman. The television show Batman from the 1960's. You know--Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah. . . BATMAN!!! They are playing the re-runs on cable now and we have taped a whole bunch of them. It is a real treat for them to sit and watch an episode or two. Jono especially loves them. Tonight while we were watching an episode, I told them I used to watch these when I was a little girl (and I'm pretty sure they were re-runs then.)Carly said, "Yah, and I was your mom." I thought she just got confused with what she was saying so I corrected her. I said, "No, I am your mom." She corrected me. "But when you were little, I was your mommy." "Oh, I said. Hmmm." I don't think I'll win the battle trying to convince her differently right now. So, I will just let her little imagination go wild. Although, it's time for bed mom! Lol!

WHAT'S UP DOC?

Rob is really sick. So far, besides Jonathon, he has had the worst cold in the house. He has a really bad sore throat and cough. He's been miserable all day. I even sent him to the doctor today. The doctor confirmed what we already knew--that Rob was miserable. Lol!

I'm still not feeling up to snuff but much better than Rob is doing. Jono is ton's better and so is Carly. Yay!

I spent most of my day reading up on college info for Julie and watching the Florida election happenings! Election years are hard on Rob! I can't stay away from the news! Not his favorite thing! :)

Well, gotta get to bed! NIght everyone.

DA PLAY, DA PLAY!

I guess you have to have watched the old Fantasy Island shows to get the joke on my title. If you didn't, then it's an inside joke. Sorry. Lol!

Rob and I went with some dear friends tonight to see a play. It was a lot of fun. It's so nice to get out once in a while and actually go on a date with my handsome husband. I really enjoy spending time with him and the bonus was that we were with other friends we enjoy also. The play was funny and we all had a good time.

Grandma and Grandpa watched the kids for us. None of my regular sitters could come tonight. I guess the kids weren't totally bad cuz Grandpa didn't even have to get out the rubber hammer! Lol!

Well, that's all for tonight. :)

JUST A FEW THINGS TO TELL YOU ABOUT

I had a pretty good day today. My lesson went fairly well (I think.) I made Rob my slave. There was a video I could show if I wanted as a part of the lesson and that means less talking for me, so I thought it was a great idea. The problem is I am not technically savvy. So, I asked Grandma if she could keep an eye on Jono so Rob could come and help me. Since he was going to be there anyway I told him if there were any dead spots in my lesson or if people weren't answering questions it was his job to speak up. He must have forgotten part of his job because the crowd wasn't much in the question answering mood today and I found myself doing the "Anyone, anyone" chant from Ferris Beuhler's day off. Still no one volunteered so after I finished looking around the room for volunteers my eyes landed squarely on him -- and stayed there--piercing him . . . until finally he got it. "Oh", he said quietly and with a little jump, and then he volunteered to answer the question. "Volunteered" probably wasn't the best word for that but he did finally chime in when I needed him. I'll tell you, you've got to stuff your audience with helpful people. That's all there is to it! LOL!

We came home after church and napped a little, then went back for a teacher development meeting. After that, Julie and I made Navajo tacos with homemade fry bread. It was our first time making fry bread so it was not as light and fluffy as my Navajo friend used to make it. Hopefully, with practice we will get better.

Grandpa hasn't move much since his PT on Friday. I think they worked him pretty hard. He says it is really helping the pain in his hip, though. If it's working on the pain, I guess it's worth the fatigue after. Grandma made us a really yummy dinner Saturday night. I'm not sure if it has a name or not but she cooked all carrots, potatoes, green beans and italian sausage together and Carly had at least two helpings--but I think it was three. Jono had a couple helpings also and I can't ever get him to eat everything on his plate. He's a pretty skinny little boy!

Julie has been working on college and scholarship applications. She's up against some deadlines this week so that is her priority. There is so much to do and fill out when you are planning to go to college. Wow! Who knew?!

Well, better get myself in bed. Night all.

JUST RIGHT

Grandpa had physical therapy today. He said it was doing him so much good he thinks he is ready to do the treadmill here at home. :) Wow! Isn't that great? In the Facebook world we would just hit "LIKE," eh? I was really happy to hear his hip is doing that much better.

I did some clothes shopping for the kids this morning and then watched my friend's little girl for a few hours. The kids should have had fun playing together but they are all at the stage where they don't want to share very well and if one person has an interesting toy then that's the toy they all want. So, frankly, they were making Mom crazy for awhile.

When Julie came home we worked a little bit on college stuff--mostly scholarship planning. We are in crunch mode right now because there are some pretty fast deadlines coming up that she needs to meet. It's kind of a wild and woolly process and it's not for pansies.

Tonight Rob and Julie went to play volleyball. We got the kids down before they left and then one of my friend's came over and she and I watched a movie together. Then I stayed up to work on my Sunday School Lesson. So, it's really been kind of a slow day--or maybe a just right day--eh, Goldilocks? Lol! Night all.

ROCKIN' THE POTTY TRAINING!

WHERE'S THE PONY EXPRESS WHEN YOU NEED THEM?

I mailed one of my Christmas gifts, belatedly-of course, because that's how my holiday seemed to work out this year. I got a surprise in my mail today. It came back to me. Now, that might not seem like a big deal but I mailed it on December 30 and just got it back today--January 25th. It only had to travel 50 miles from here--less than an hour. The gift was inside a regular sized card and turns out I failed to put the recipient's entire address on it. It did, however, have my complete return address on it. The inablitly to deliver it was totally my fault. But I just have one question for the US Postal Service: What the heck have you been doing with my card for three weeks?? No wonder you are losing business and going bankrupt! I mean, Pony express could have been there and back a dozen or more times by now! Just sayin' . . .

THE TUMMY BONE'S CONNECTED TO THE . . .

Carly was doing enough better today that I let her go to pre-school. She loves that she actually goes to school and she loves that it has two names just like! Julie's school--High school--Pre-school. Lol! My baby girl is no dummy! Hahaha!

Jono is still coughing up a storm. I'm having to watch him really closely. His breathing has been bad and it can get out of control so quickly. We have him on several breathing treatments a day and that is helping keep his breathing in check. We are trying so hard to keep him out of the hospital this year! I need a lot of wood to knock on!

It's only 34 degrees here. It actually feels colder than that so I guess I will be thankful it is 34 degrees. I just can't seem to get and stay warm.

I am going to have to go back on my diet and start exercising again. All this laying around being sick has taken it's toll on my waistline. I have been so lethargic--and yet still hungry. I'm at the point where I'm afraid to get on the scales and it's only been a week since I was on them! I can just feel that my clothes are tighter. I hate that! I just have to work my brain into submission--and get my will power ignited so I can actually manage to stay on the diet for long enough to get off what I need to. It's so much easier not to gain it in the first place! Wish I could remember that! Sometimes it's like my brain, my taste buds and my tummy are not connected at all! Gah!

MORE SNOT THAN NOT

It's a darn good thing I have a snot-sucker, that's all I have to say! Wow, I can't believe how much snot fits inside one tiny two year old! Thankfully, when he started having trouble breathing they gave us (well, we pay for it) this machine that literally sucks the snot out of his nose. LOL! He actually doesn't mind it very much. Some days he even asks for it. He asked for it 2 or 3 times today. Now, Carly is a different story. Since she didn't start having them as a baby the machine frightens the life out of her. If we even try to use it on her she kicks and screams and knocks things over. Let me just say we have given up trying to use it on her--even though it makes Jono's life and breathing a lot easier! I would really hate to have to deal with his breathing issues without a way to clear out his nose easily. Before we had this when he was much tinier, we had to just take him to the emergency room so they could use their machine on him. Otherwise, he could not breathe--and when he wasn't able to breathe he couldn't breathe in the medicine that would help him breathe better either. So, frustrating.

So, I guess you've figured out the cold's aren't better here. I'm trying to keep them away from Grandma and Grandpa so they don't give them to them but they are slippery and get down there before I know it! I haven't felt well, either, so I'm not as on the ball as I should be. Hopefully, they won't catch what's being thrown at them.

It snowed a little bit here today. I never did get outside but looking out the window I'd say we got a couple of inches. Just enough to make things white and slippery. Well, I'm going to sign off here and drink more fluids and get more rest. Night all.