Oh The Trama...

A couple days before Christmas my gums started hurting.  It started to just hurt a little and then it got worse.  It was just one spot at first and I found that when I put pressure on it, it felt better.  So I flossed it, probably a little too much.  After that it really started to hurt.  I figured I just messed with it too much and it would heal.  After a couple days of it not getting better I figured I should go and see my dentist.  But by this time it was Christmas Eve and my dentists office was closed.  Then closed Christmas day and the day after.  So I figured I was stuck waiting until Thursday to get it checked out.  I feared that I had an infection.
Then Megan got sick and with all that went into that, I just dealt with all the mouth pain.  But while we were in the hospital with Megan my mouth was even worse then before.  Now my bottom teeth were hurting and so was the whole side of my face.  My head was killing me and my ear was starting to hurt.  So Tony talked me into leaving the hospital on Thursday and seeing the dentist.
I got to the dentist and told them my story.  They took x-rays and checked my teeth and he said nothing was wrong and that everything looked good.  He said I was biting down a little hard on my crown, so he grinned down the tooth.  But besides that all looked good.  I was shocked.  How could I be having this much mouth pain with nothing wrong.  Not that I wanted to have a root canal or anything, but I was in pain and the pain meds I had did not help at all.
So I headed home to get us somethings for the hospital before going back up to be with Tony and Megan.  The dentist said that it would take about a week to feel better - I wasn't sure I would last.  So I just continued to deal with the pain.  I was up quite late Thursday night trying to sleep through the pain.  Friday the pain was even worse.  So bad I even called my dentist back to see how long to wait for the pain to get better.  He still said a week.
Megan was doing better on Friday and it was my friend, Mikes wedding that day.  Tony told me I should go because there was nothing I could do there, so I might as well see my friend get married.  So I went, even though I was in a lot of pain.  I had a friend of mine tell me that she had really bad teeth pain when she had a sinus infection and then two other friends said they had the same thing.  WHAT???  A sinus infection.  That makes total sense.  My head was totally hurting and stuffy, but I thought that the teeth caused my head to hurt, not that my head caused my teeth to hurt.
So after Megan got discharged and we got home and settled I went to the Urgent Care to see if I had a sinus infection.  Yep, not question about it.  I guess it is quite common for your teeth to hurt with a sinus infection because your sinuses are right on top of the roots of your teeth.  So if your infection gets bad enough, your roots hurt.
So I got some antibiotics and pain meds and went home.  That night was really hard.  The pain meds didn't touch my roots and they just killed all night.  Putting water in my mouth did help, so I would wake up and have to swish the water around and then try to go back to sleep.  That worked until about two that morning, then the pain was just too much.  The only thing that made the pain go away was having cool water in my mouth.
So every one to two minutes I would have to take a drink of cool water and let it sit on my teeth.  It was like putting out a fire.  The pain came fast and strong but as soon as I put the water on my teeth, it felt so much better.  But one can not live like this.  I did that all day Saturday.  I just made sure I always had water with me.  I called the doctor back that I went to the night before.  The pain was maddening.  The weirdest thing I have ever had to deal with.  I couldn't believe the pain.  I would cry, it hurt that bad.  Poor Tony, I was becoming a crazy lady.  
So the doctor gave me a stronger antibiotic and stronger pain bills.  I took them that night and prayed that they would work.  It took until about 1:30 Sunday morning before I felt any relief.  I think that the antibiotics kicked in and relieved some of the pressure.  I was so happy that that horrible pain was gone.  My teeth still ache, but nothing like they did.  Sunday morning I got up and my head was a mess, but the root pain was gone.  It was officially moving from my teeth to my head.  I felt like crap, but I was glad to have the crazy pain gone.
I feel a little bit better today, but it is a slow recovery.  I am so thankful to Tony for taking care of us all while Megan and I have been sick.  Sunday was his birthday.  Probably the worst birthday ever.  I will definitely have to make it up to him.  He is such a great dad and husband.  So glad that he has been here to help with everything.  Time for Megan and Mommy to get all better!

Christmas 2012

Christmas Eve the snow started falling and we were one happy bunch.  We love the snow, especially at Christmas.  We had the annual Kresser Family Christmas party that night.  There were a lot of people and a lot of good food to be had.
After we ate and chatted for a while we had the kids do their gift exchange.  After they got their gifts they all go back down stairs so the adults can do their gift exchange.  I got a game that I plan on re-gifting next year and Tony got Lord of the Rings Pez dispensers.  They seemed silly, but the boys have already played with them and liked eating the candies out the the people's head.
After all the extended family left we stuck around for while.  Margie handed out the pajamas to all the grand kids.  I love seeing them all in their pajamas, especially when they match each other.  That is like to official sign that Christmas is here when the kids are in their pajamas playing at grandmas.  After they played a little bit we headed home to put the kids to bed so that Santa could come.  While tucking in the boys I asked Tyler if he wanted to say the prayer that night and he said he was trying to get to sleep quick so that Santa would come.  So I just said the prayer.  Tyler wasn't kidding around, he fell asleep pretty fast and so did Josh.

Megan had another hard night (now we know why) so Tony and I were up pretty early with her before the boys woke up.  Josh woke up first and came in and sat in my lap.  It took him couple minutes to notice the presents by the tree.  He first noticed the new scooters that him and Tyler got.  He went right to them and tried them out.  Tyler woke up a couple minutes later and came into the front room and asked if Santa had come.  We told him to come in and see.  He got so excited when he saw everything.  He went to the tree to look at the presents and then he started reading off the names..."T-Y-L-E-R...T-Y-L-E-R."  It was so cute and funny to hear him spelling out his name on each package.  He's such an awesome kid.

So then Tyler and Josh passed out presents to everyone and then Megan started off the presents opening party.  She wasn't too into it because she was sick, but she did still open a couple things.  Josh and Tyler had the most so we pretty much just let them take turns.  It was fun to see the boys reaction to the gifts that they got.  After all was given and received we ate some breakfast and let the kids play with their new toys.  After a while of hanging out we decided to get ready and go to grandma's house.
We hung out for a while and then we opened some more gifts from grandma and grandpa.  They are always so generous and we were all very happy with our gifts.  They got the boys these cool Innotab things that are kind of like little i-pads for kids.  The boys both love them.  Definitely a home run from grandma.  Then we made some lunch.  After eating, the rest of Tony's family came and then we passed out the cousin gifts.  Then all the cousins played until it was time for us to go over to my parents house. 

The kids went right to playing with cousins once we got to my parents.  We chatted a little while and then we passed out our sibling gifts and opened our stockings.  Grandpa almost cancelled doing stockings, but he came through in the end.  I don't think he realized just how much we like getting stockings.  We are very thankful for all the fun things that we got from our family.  I got to talk to my grandpa in Oregon and he seems to be doing well, so that is very good.  The kids got to do their cousin gift exchange where Tyler got a Bey Blade from aunt Wendy and he went crazy.  This is what he asked Santa for and he didn't get it, so he was a little bummed.  But Santa knew that Wendy got him one, so Tyler just needed to be patient.  Josh was super funny about his gift.  He got some bigger legos from Uncle Kevin and Josh said, "I don't like it...want Bey Blade."  Him not being grateful wasn't funny, but it was funny that he wanted a toy for bigger kids and not the little kid toy.  He likes to be just like his brother.
We then ate dinner at my parents and then went home.  Megan ended up eating better that night, so we were hopeful that she was starting to feel better - it was a false sense of hope.  Then we came home and put the kids to bed.  We all had a great Christmas and enjoyed spending so much time with our family.  We are so lucky to live so close to our families.  Can't get any better then that.  Merry Christmas 2012...until next year.  Let's hope we're all healthy next year.

Megan + RSV = Primary Children's Hospital

We had a very nice Christmas.  I will have to post about that later.  The day after Christmas was a nice casual day.  Tony went back to work and poor little Megan had another hard day.  Her cough had gotten a lot worse and she was feeling terrible.  Tony came home early from work and we wondered if we should take Megan to the doctor's.  We decided to wait until our neighbor came home so he could come check on her and then follow his advice.  He said that she didn't sound good and that we should take her in.

Tony took her in about 7:00 pm and they checked her oxygen level and it was really low.  So the doctor told Tony that she needed to go to the hospital right away by ambulance.  Tony refused the ambulance (that's an expensive ride) and decided to take her there himself.  I called and asked Margie to come and watch the boys so I could go with Tony.  She got here before Tony was done at the doctors office.  Margie decided to just take the boys (and Koda) to her house to sleep so we didn't have to worry about her being stuck at our house.  It was so nice not having to worry about the boys or Koda while we were dealing with Megan in the hospital.
So I sat in the back by Megan while Tony drove up to Primary Children's Hospital.  The pediatrician sent him with an Oxygen tank for Megan for the drive up to the hospital.  The doctor wasn't happy that Tony didn't want to take an ambulance but we felt that she would be okay until we got there, and she was.
Tony's dad and brother beat us to the hospital to help give Megan a blessing when she was ready.  It is so nice to have such a great family that would drop everything to help you out.  I love our family.  We got Megan checked in and only had to wait a minute until they called our name.  They checked her Oxygen level and it was down to 78% (which is really low and bad).  They put her on Oxygen right away and then moved us into a room in the ER to be seen by a doctor.  We didn't have to wait too long before the doctor came in.  She suspected Megan had RSV and said that they would suction her out to try and get some of the gunk out of her lungs.  They took a sample from that gunk and tested it for what virus she had.  It was confirmed, she had RSV.  And to top that off she also had an ear infection...in both ears.
They then told us to wait for a while to see if they wanted to admit us or have us hangout and wait to see how she was doing.  While we waited Tony, Lloyd, and Nate gave Megan a blessing.  It was a sweet blessing about her healing and getting better.  We are so lucky to have the priesthood in our lives.
After waiting for about an hour they told us that they were going to admit Megan but that it could take a while to move upstairs.  Boy were they right.  It took over two hours to move us after they said she'd be admitted.  While we waited I made a lot of phone calls and our Bishop stopped by to see how we were doing.
We got Megan's room after midnight and they did some more sucking up of the gunk.  Megan hadn't really eaten much all day, but after the first suction she ate like a champ.  She ate about 12 ounces in about an hour.  We were happy about that because that meant she wouldn't have to get an IV to keep her hydrated.  So after they suctioned her again we all tried to get some sleep.  The room had a couch that you could sleep on and then a rocking chair.  Tony and I shared the couch for a little while, then he slept in the chair, then he ended up on floor.  Tony was so nice to let me have the bed.
Megan continued to be suctioned out and needing Oxygen.  I think she was suctioned out seven times that next day.  She hated it.  I couldn't blame her, I would hate it too.  It got so bad that if a nurse even came into the room Megan would start crying and try to get away from them.  It didn't help that they wore masks and a big yellow cover when they came in to see her.  But all the nurses LOVED Megan.  They said that she looked like the Gerber baby and that she was their cutest patient.  I totally believe it, she is a doll.
For being so little Megan really is so strong.  She did so good with all the suctioning and all the check ups and cords and tubes stuck to her.  By Thursday afternoon she started feeling a little better and wanted to get down and play.  So we put her in her little bed/crib and let her play.  It was so nice to see her more active and her silly self. 
Thursday night was a little bit better then the night before.  She slept more on her own and only needed to be suctioned once during the night.  She got suctioned out one more time at 9:00 on Friday and that was the last time that she needed it.  Megan was even more playful on Friday.  When we would put her down to play it would mess up her Oxygen readings so they finally just took it off and let her play.  When Megan got stuffy later that day Tony had them use the bulb syringe to see how that would do, and it worked great.  So about three the doctor came and said since Megan's Oxygen use was low enough and she hadn't needed to be suctioned in a while that we could get ready to go home.
It took another couple of hours to get everything ready for us to leave.  We did have to take Megan home on Oxygen so we had to do a little training on that.  We even had to call and have an Oxygen machine brought to our home.  We have an appointment this morning with a pediatrician and then it will be up to them how long Megan will be on Oxygen.  Megan still coughs quite a bit, but she is doing tons better.  I hope we can loose the Oxygen soon and get back to normal.
Tyler and Josh have been super troupers through this process too.  Tyler was really worried about his baby sister, who he loves so much.  Margie was able to help him through some of his fears and concerns.  Mostly I think that they have enjoyed the extra sleep overs at grandma's and getting to play with their cousins, Matt and Lydia.  I am so thankful for Margie and Lloyd for taking such good care of our boys (all three with the dog) and we are thankful to Tony's brother and sister-in-law who took the boys downtown on a fun outing and even brought them by to see us.  That really meant a lot to us and made us feel really special.
Also we are so thankful for all the calls, posts, prayers, and thoughts that came our way.  We know that it is part of the reason Megan got better so fast.  We have awesome friends and family, and a pretty awesome ward too.  Thankful to "Uncle Max" our neighbor who encouraged us to not wait and take Megan in that night.  Hate to think what would have happened if we waited.
Tony has been amazing through this whole process.  He is such a rock and such a giver.  He was so good to me and Megan.  He always puts us and our needs before his.  I couldn't ask for a better partner in life.  Were not out of the woods yet, but were getting there.  Now we pray she continues to get better and doesn't have any set backs. 

Christmas Parties

On Saturday we went to the annual Steenblik Christmas dinner at Tony's aunt Cynthia's home.  It was a pretty good turn out with lots of aunts, uncles, cousins, and their children.  It was nice to see family that we don't get to see very often.  We had some good food and their was even an activity for the kids.  They got to put peanut butter on a pine cone and roll it in bird seed.  The boys liked doing that.  Tony and I were super happy that they didn't do the "talent" show that they normally have.  In the past the talent show has been mainly little girls dancing around in circles - super lame.  But the party was quite nice and we had a good time.
Then yesterday was also a fun day.  The primary sang two songs in sacrament and Tyler and Josh both went up on the stage to sing.  It was fun to see them both up their so big.  Then Tyler had a talk in Primary.  Tony did a good job writing it and helping Tyler give his talk.  Megan had a super hard night that night and started getting a cold so Tony took her home after Tyler's talk.  I wish I could say that Megan is doing better today, but she's not.  The poor girl does not feel good and has a mean cough.
Then Sunday evening we went to my parents for the annual Clark Family Christmas party.  We had lots of yummy food and then did a gift exchange game.  For my gift I picked a Christmas game that we played and it was really fun.  The boys liked playing with their cousins and Megan was pretty much fussy the whole night.  Besides that we all had a good time.
Now today is Christmas Eve and we are going to go to the annul Kresser Family party soon.  It should be fun and I sure hope that Megan is not so fussy.  Poor girl.  Merry Christmas.

Thoughts

A friend of mine had this on her blog and it really sums up what I have been thinking about since the terrible shooting of 20 small children.    

"Be near me, Lord Jesus; I ask Thee to stay by me forever and I love me, I pray.  Bless all the dear children in Thy tender care and fit us for Heaven to live with Thee there."

 

I am so thankful for my knowledge of the gospel and that I know that these beautiful children are now with our Heavenly Father.  I have really loved just holding my kids longer, kissing them more, playing with them more, and just enjoying them.  What a beautiful time of year it is that we get to celebrate the birth of our Savior. 

Our little Stars

Tyler got a "Rising Star" award at school.  I think that the kindergarten teachers chooses a couple kids each month from each class to get a Happy Meal from McDonald's.
So Tyler got a little certificate that said why his teacher thought he was a "Star" and then he also got a cheeseburger happy meal.  We had to go to the cafeteria after his class and wait for the man who went and picked up all the meals.
Josh REALLY wanted to eat lunch at the school.  It was really hard for him to see all the school lunch and not have me get him some.  I felt bad, but I didn't have any money on me - even if I did I don't know if I could have bought him food.
So I tried to make the yogurt that Josh ate once we got home super exciting for him.  My friend took and got her three year old her own happy meal after she picked up her sons, but I am not that nice.
While Tyler was at school our sweet neighbors, The Simpsons, brought over three candy canes filled with candies.  All the kids enjoyed playing with them and eating them.  Before they were all eaten Megan was playing with all three and it was super cute.  I wanted to get a picture of it, but by the time I showed up with my camera all she then wanted was to play with my camera.  So these are the best two shots I got of Megan and the candy canes.
Megan is getting better and better at cruising around the furniture.  She has taken maybe three or four steps before she falls down a couple of times.  She is one determined little girl.

Tyler's Christmas Program

Tyler had his Christmas program today.  Their was suppose to be a really big storm last night and today, so I got Tony to take the day off and come see Tyler's program.  The storm ended up being nothing but rain - super bummed about no snow.
We took Tyler to his class and then we went and found a seat to watch the program in the cafeteria.  The stage is in the corner of the room so we were not sure where he was going to be while he performed.

Of course he ended up being on the total opposite side of where we were sitting so we had to get up and move to the other side to see Tyler and video tape and take pictures.  We did get to sit by our cute neighbors and friends, so that was fun.
Tyler did a pretty good job.  Their first number was a song.  He didn't really sing very much of the song, but none of the kids did. He did get to shake a jingle bell during the song, he did that very well.
After the song they had a dance number.  Unfortunately Tyler went to the back of the stage and we really didn't see him dance.  It was super sad, but I am sure he did awesome.  He would show us parts of the dance at home.  He's got some mad skills.

Gwen, Ava, and Megan waiting for the show to start

We stayed for almost all the other performances.  We had to leave before the end to take Josh to school.  It was fun for Tony to be the one to take Josh in and see Josh's classroom and teachers. 
It was nice having Tony home on a Tuesday. 

Megan's First Steps

Megan took her first step last week and took another step yesterday.  She is getting really good at walking while holding on to the furniture and is doing much better on her balance.  It is very exciting to see her learning all these fun new things.  It's only a matter of time until that girl is walking...heaven help us.

Citizen of the Month

 Tyler got the Citizen of the Month award at school yesterday. I guess that each teacher chooses one student each month to receive this award and Tyler got it for the month of November.
Tyler got a certificate and four free kids meal coupons to four different restaurants.  I cannot forget to two free pencils and the folder that it all came in, those were Tyler's favorites.

Tyler said that his teacher said that Tyler tries very hard on his work and he's very nice to everyone.  I thought maybe part of the reason she gave it to Tyler was because the day before her nail and Tyler's head accidentally ran into each other.  But I think that she had to have picked the person before the whole nail/head situation.
Tony and I are very proud of our little citizen of the month and are very happy that he is doing so well in school and with others.

Breakfast with Santa and Gingerbread Houses

 This morning we had our annual Breakfast with Santa at our Stake Center.  I had to go early to help finish setting up and Tony and the kids met me there when it started.
We had ward members bring breakfast casseroles and then I got some muffins from Costco and Milk from Deseret Dairy.
We had a pretty good turn out and ended up with just about the perfect amount of food.  I was a little worried we would run out, but we didn't.

After eating and singing we got to see Santa once again.  The kids were all sitting in the front of the gym singing and waiting for Santa.  It was fun to see Josh and Tyler reaction to when Santa came in.  It took them both a minute to figure it out but Josh was really excited when he finally saw him.
 We had the kids line up by families and we actually ended up cutting in front because Megan was ready to go home and take a nap.

Tyler and Josh both did really good again sitting and talking with Santa. I wish I was right there to hear what they were saying to him.  Mostly Tyler because I am pretty sure Santa had no idea what Josh was saying to him.
Megan was not happy at all with Santa today.  She was just too tired and is definitely in that stage of life where she has stranger anxiety.  Santa showed her the sucker but that didn't really matter to her.  So we quickly scooped her up and tried for a family photo with Santa.

Note to self...NEVER bend over in a photo, it is not a flattering look for me.  The person taking the picture didn't zoom in at all so it isn't a very good picture, but hey we got it and no one was crying and everyone was looking forward.  So I would say the picture was a success.
Pretty much right after they saw Santa Tony took the kids and went back home while I stayed behind to help pick up.

I thought that we had a really good turn out and it seemed like everyone had a good time and had plenty to eat.  It is always a fun event, but now that I am part of the committee that puts it on...I am glad that it's over.

We decided to decorate our gingerbread house (and tree) today that Tony's mom got us.  I tried to have Tyler tell me what he wanted me to do and where he wanted the candy placed.  Tyler was good at putting on the treats and Josh was good at eating all the treats.  Tony and Megan watched for a little while, but then Megan was ready for another nap.  Josh didn't want to be part of the picture, so here is Tyler with our beautiful creation (Tyler promptly asked if he could start eating it right after I took the picture).

11th Ward Christmas Dinner

Last night we went to my parents ward for their annual Christmas dinner.  They decided to have the kids meet Santa first, so after we picked our dinning table we got in line to see the Jolly Man.
Tony was still working the late schedule so he had to meet us there at the church.  He got there just in time to see the kids visit Santa.  Tyler and Josh did really good and told Santa what they wanted (Josh mainly just wanted the treat).  Megan did pretty good the first minute, but then decided that she didn't want to sit with Santa anymore and wanted her parents.

Santa was super nice and gave each kid a stuffed animal and a marshmallow candy cane-thing.  I thought it was a pretty good score and so did Tyler.  Josh and Megan didn't really care about the stuffed animals, just the treat.  I'm afraid they both got my sweet tooth.
After seeing Santa we had some yummy food with the family.  After the kids ate they joined the other kids in running around in circles - they had so much fun doing that.

We decided to change the kids into their pajamas and then head home.  I stopped to help decorate for our Breakfast with Santa at the Stake Center and Tony took the kids home to go to bed.  We had a good time and enjoyed visiting my home ward. 

Happy Thanksgiving

Today we celebrated Thanksgiving.  We started the day off by just hanging out and playing with the kids at home.  It was nice to get some house work done and let the kids hang out.
We started our celebrating by going to my parents house first.  The boys were so excited to go for rides on the four-wheelers.  They were also excited that their were lots of cousins to play with.

Tyler drove the small four-wheeler for the first time all by himself.  He was nervous at first when it was just me and Uncle Gabe helping to teach him, but once Daddy came out to teach him he did much better.  He was able to drive around yard all by himself.  He only wanted to do it once, but he did it.  So with more practice he will be a pro in no time.
Josh couldn't get enough of the four-wheelers and would hitch a ride any chance he could, no matter who was driving.  Even Megan got in on the action and went for a ride for a while.  It was pretty cold, so she got tired of it pretty quickly.
During all the playing and riding of the kids, Tony and I got to enjoy the company of cousins and family.  It is always fun to relax and bond with the family. 
After we were done visiting we headed over to Tony's parents house where we enjoyed our Thanksgiving dinner.
It was really nice visiting with Tony's family and helping get dinner things ready.  Holiday's are so great because you get to spend so much time with family and see extended family that we don't see very often.
The boys had so much fun playing with more cousins and the kids of Tony's cousins.  Not as many people came as they usually do, but it was kind of nice to just be more low key.  Their were lots of good conversations and yummy food.
The boys are still at grandma's house having a sleep over with their cousins.  They love sleep overs and were so happy to be able to have lots of play time with their cousins.  Josh was super cute when we were leaving because he wanted Megan to stay and have a sleepover too.  I thought that was nice of him to want Megan to stay too.  I have such sweet kids.  
I will end my thankful posts with this...I am very thankful for my family, all of them!!!

#20 - Hand-me-downs

Today we got Tony's parents old fridge because they bought a new one.  We bought our fridge right after we were married and it is just a very basic one.  We have wanted a bigger one with an automatic ice maker and water in the door, so we are happy for the upgrade.  Tony and I are never too good for hand-me-downs.

#18 & #19

#18 - Testimonies - I am very thankful for the testimony that I have of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  I know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the one and only true church on earth.  I know that The Book of Mormon is a true book.  I know that Jesus died on the cross for you and me.  I am VERY thankful for this testimony, it means the world to me.

#19 - Ice cream.  I asked Tony what we were thankful for today and he said ice cream.  We got back a couple hours a go from Leatherby's.  We went with my sisters, Julie and Wendy, and their families and grandma.  The boys loved going to get ice cream with their cousins and had a super good time.  Megan did really good and enjoyed eating fries and ice cream.  It was a good time for everyone...yum we love Leatherby's.

#17 - Sisters

My sister, Wendy, came into town today with her sweet husband and cute boys.  So Megan and I headed to my parents where they are staying to spend some quality family time.  Tony and our boys went to the movies with Grandma Margie and cousins so they met us at my parents after the show.  I figured Megan wouldn't do so good at the movie, so we stayed back so Tony and the boys could enjoy the show.

Julie, Wendy, my mom and I all went to the fabric store so Wendy, who is pregnant with boy #3, could pick out fabric for my mom to make her some blankets.  Then Julie made all of us Taco Soup and we all ate and hung out at her house.  Sherri came right before dinner and it was so nice to just hang out with all the girls (except Teagan - she was missed).  Don't get me wrong I love my brother, but their is a special bond that a girl has with her sister.

The kids all played so well together and it was so nice to just sit and chat and let all the cousins play.  Megan got fussy and was ready for bed so Tony took her home while the boys and I stayed behind for a little bit longer.  The boys loved playing longer and I enjoyed the company.  

One of the many good things about Thanksgiving...it brings families together!

#16 - Treats

I am grateful to be able to enjoy treats.  I try not to go too wild, but it is nice to enjoy some sugary treat every now and then.  I really enjoy baking treats and trying new recipes.  I think my family likes me baking treats too.  Tis the season for treats and splurging - so bring on the goodies!

#15 - Active Kids

Today I am grateful for my active children.  I don't always think so positively about all their energy and crazy ideas, but I know (deep down) that it is a good thing.  I wouldn't want them any other way.  They always have a good time and they love being physical.  I could really learn a lot from my boys on being active.  Some day I will be as cool as they are.

Tyler has gotten really into jumping off the arm of the couch and bouncing once and then doing a front flip.  He has been doing this every day for a week or so now  I tried to get him to just do the flip from the arm of the chair, but for some reason he thinks he needs to bounce first.
I think he got this idea from his cousin, Landon, when he was at grandma's.  Landon had gotten out the small trampoline and did front flips off the tramp onto a pile of billows and blankets.  

A couple days ago Josh decided that Tyler looked like he was having a good time and joined in the fun.  Lucky for me he decided somersaults were more his style.  Josh does a really good somersault too.  Josh started on the floor but quickly moved to the couch like Tyler.  My boys have some mad skills.

Let's not leave Megan out.  She is super active and busy. She loves exploring the house and finding new things to put into her mouth.  I really have to be active about making sure the house is clean of small things on the floor - and the dogs food and water, that's her favorite.  She is so proud of her self when she crawls from one room to the next.  She just giggles with delight when Tony "chases" her while crawling behind her.  It is super cute.  

Today Megan discovered the dog door.  I think she is totally missing playing outside.  We used to go outside everyday and Megan would crawl all over the grass (trying to eat leaves).  I would put out a big blanket, but she would always just crawl right off and go for those yummy leaves.
She is getting really good at pulling her self up. 
She can now balance with just one hand holding onto things.  She is even trying to go from the fireplace to the chair - but doesn't quite understand that she has to move her feet to do so.  She has started cruising around the fireplace, it is just the right height for her.  It is fun to see her learning so many new things.  My kids are awesome!

#13 & #14

#13 - Neighborhood friends.  This is kind of like my ward, but different.  I have a few ladies that I walk to or from school with, with our kids and then we meet up with another friend who drops of her preschooler.  It is so nice to have ladies to talk to about our kids, husbands, poop, anything really.  I have been able to go out to dinner with a couple of these ladies (Marissa and Bronny) and it was so much fun.  It is so nice to be able to be my self and say what ever I want to say and they will still be my friend and like me for me.  I am so blessed to have such a good friends so close to me. 

#14 - Good food.  I am a big fan of good food.  It makes me happy.  I am pretty sure it makes everyone happy.  I just wish it didn't come with the calories. 

On a side note:  HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to Tony and I!!!!  9 years today!!!!!  That was such a fun day and we had such a amazing honeymoon.  It was so nice just being together and learning more about each other.  It has been a great nine years and I look forward to many many more to come.  I love you Tony.

#12 - Laptop

It is so nice having the convenience of a laptop.  When I lost my job I had to give up my work laptop and it was super sad.  Then my dad let us borrow his old one, then it broke.  So we decided to spend the money and find us our own laptop.  Tony found a good refurbished one on-line that was a good deal.  It came super fast and we have enjoyed it ever since.  We all just love it.

Anniversary Weekend

Tony and I were super lucky to be able to spend this past weekend celebrating our 9 year wedding anniversary.  It started on Friday afternoon when we dropped all the kids off at Tony's parents where they were to spend the night on Friday and Saturday.
Our first stop was Costco (because that's just how cool we are) where we did some shopping.  It is always nice to go shopping without the kids.  After buying our goods we took them back home.  We did some cleaning and other stuff before we got ready to go out for the evening.  We decided to stop at Walmart to look for a couple things before going to dinner.  We found some snow boots for me and a couple other things.  With all the snow that we got this weekend it made me realize that I needed some boots for when we take Tyler to school in the snow.
Then we headed to Texas Roadhouse where we met up with some friends, Mike and Jackie.  It was fun getting together and seeing them.  We hadn't seen them since last Christmas and they just got engaged.  The food was good (as always) and the company was even better.  After dinner Tony and I went back home and watched a movie that we got from Red Box.
On Saturday we went out for a late breakfast and then headed to the mall to do a little shopping.  We wanted to look for some clothes for the family for family pictures.  We found a sweater for Tyler that we liked and then we got some hand soaps from Bath and Body Works.  Then it was off to The Desert Star Playhouse where we saw a show called, "Wicked-er."  It was kind of lame.  We were pretty disappointed that it wasn't better then it was.  Not sure when we'll go back there again.  But we still had fun doing something that we don't do very often.  After the show we went to Sam's Club (yep, still super cool).  We found a couple things and then decided to go back home for a while.  When we returned the last movie we got a new one, so we decided to watch it.  It was kind of weird being home with no kids for so long.  It was quiet.  I enjoyed the break from the kids, but I am glad that we have them.  They really do complete our lives and we love them a lot.
We decided to go to eat some dinner and ended up at Sizzler.  I really like their salad bar and we had a coupon for steak and salad bar for $10.  So we just ate the salad bar stuff and then took the stakes home to eat another day.  It was pretty good food and it was fun getting out.  Then it was back home for relaxation and another movie.
This morning Tony went to his meeting and then we went to Tony's parents ward to go to church with the kids.  They were very excited to see us and liked to snuggle us all through sacrament meeting.  We all just hung out at Tony's parents house after church until dinner.  Now we are home.  Our three awesome kids are in their beds sleeping and Tony and I our hanging out.  We have a pretty awesome life!

#11 - Friends

Today I am grateful for friends.  My friend list has changed many different times over the years.  I am lucky to still be friends with a great group of friends from high school, but we don't get to see each other very often.  I have some pretty good friends in my ward right now.  It is so nice when your close friends also live close...which is probably why they become close friends.  I am a very social person and love having lots of friends.  I have learned over the years that the amount of friends doesn't matter, it is the quality of the friends that is most important.  It wasn't until I had some really amazing friends that I realized that the friends that I had weren't really very good friends to me.  I feel very blessed to have had so many amazing friends in my life who have taught me what being a true friend is all about.

#8, #9, #10

#8 - Our ward.  I was not a big fan of our ward when we first moved into our house.  It took a couple of years for Tony and I to find our place here.  But now, after almost 9 years, we really love our ward.  We know most the members and have served in many different callings.  We have many friends who have come and gone from the ward and we have felt blessed to know them.  We just had our annual Tasters Table activity and it was so much fun.  It is my most favorite activity of the year.  Good times, go 4th ward.

#9 - Snow - It started snowing yesterday morning and pretty much continued all day long.  It was so pretty.  My boys love to play in the snow and I love it too.  I wish it would snow every day in the winter time.  It is so beautiful and it makes it feel like the holidays.  Tyler asked if it was Christmas yesterday because it snowed.  I love that Utah has all the seasons and I am glad that it is winter now.  I love snow!

#10 - Anniversary - Tony and I have our 9th wedding anniversary on the 14th of this month.  We are celebrating this weekend.  We have been SO SO lucky and blessed to have Tony's parents take our kids for a couple nights each anniversary so that Tony and I can enjoy a couple kid free days.  I look forward to this weekend every year.  I love my kids so much, but it is so nice to have Tony all to myself for a couple days and to just have us time.  We get to go out to eat and take in a show.  We normally stay in a hotel for a couple nights...it is just good fun.  Love our anniversary...love Tony...love Tony's parents for taking good care of our kids while we celebrate.  Here's to 9 years!!!

#7 - Home

Right now as I sit in my nice comfy chair and watch silly television in my nicely warm house it makes me very grateful for my home.  It isn't super big or super fancy, but it works just fine for us.  A lot of our house, like the kitchen, was the original 1958 house.  We're talking pink and green tiled bathroom.  Tony has put in a lot of time (and money) into making our house a place that is updated and pleasing to live in.  Their are things that I wish that I had (like a master bath) but for now this house works out just fine for our little family.  The yard is nice and big for the kids to play and we have plenty of room for all of us.  Almost 9 years ago Tony and I felt that we should put an offer in on this house and we figured that if they accepted it then we were meant to have this house.  So here we are...almost 9 years later...wasn't sure we would stay here this long...but sure feel blessed to have a nice home that we enjoy.

#6 - Independence

Today I am especially grateful for my freedoms and independence.  It was election day today.  Obama vs Romney.  We all got our chance to make our voices heard.  We are able to do many things here in America that others can not do.  I am grateful that with all these freedoms it includes freedom of religion (which will be another post).  I am thankful for the men and women who have risked or given their lives for us to enjoy these freedoms.  I am a firm believer of the free enterprise system and all the blessings that come from that type of economy.  No matter what happens tonight I know that it'll all work out how it's suppose to.  Obama or Romney...it'll all work out.  I love my country!

Day #5 - Gratitude

#5 - Health.  Being healthy is definitely something that I take for granted when we are all healthy.  It is not until one or more of us is sick that I realize how nice it is when we are healthy.  Being healthy is one of the things that I pray for (probably) the most.  Josh has had a tummy ache for the past couple of days and it was the worst today with him throwing up three times.  He still had a good attitude most of the day.  Megan is doing a little bit better, but still has some bad diapers.  I just want my babies to be healthy and happy.  We are all a lot happier when everyone is healthy.  The worst is when I am sick and then kids are sick because then I just have no patience what so ever.
I am also very thankful for modern medicine.  I am so thankful for my doctor and the kids pediatrician.  I love that when we are sick we can go to the doctor and get us medicine that makes us feel better.  I can only hope and pray that we will all be healthy and strong soon...very soon.   

Gratitude #3 & #4

I remembered as I was in bed trying to get to sleep that I forgot to post day 3 of my month of gratitude.  So here I am bright and early Sunday morning sharing a couple more blessings.  We ended Daylight savings this morning, but we're all still on our old schedule and up early.  We will need to work on these kids sleeping in later (especially Megan who was up at 5:30 am).

#3 - My parents and siblings.  I really do enjoy having such a big family.  We have a good time together and love being silly.  My sister Julie and I have a special "understanding" of each others sense of humor and enjoy laughing at our selves.  We have a lot of fun memories growing up since we are closest in age.  I am lucky to have four sisters and one brother.  I enjoy talking to and spending time with all my siblings and even my parents.  I used to go to my parents house at least two times a week when Tyler went to preschool in Murray and it was so nice to see my parents and hang out as friends.  Now I only see them a couple times on month and I miss seeing them more.  I know that if I need anything that my family will come and help.  I am so blessed to have most my family live close and I love when we all get together.

#4 - My in-laws.  I really do love Tony's family.  They have been pretty accepting of me from day one.  They don't always get my sense of humor, but I am used to that.  We have a good time together and my kids just LOVE their cousins.  I really love seeing them on Sundays and it is an extra special treat when everyone can get together since it doesn't happen very often.  Tony's parents have taken us on some pretty awesome vacations as a family and they have been so fun.  Tony's parents genuinely enjoy spending time with their grand kids and it is so fun to see them enjoy being grandparents.  Tony's parents are very supportive and are willing to help out when needed.  Tony's dad has come over and helped us with our house anytime Tony has asked.  I love that Tony has learned so much from his dad about building and fixing things.  Tony's mom has taught Tony to be financially frugal and to do his research before he makes purchases and that is a great skill to have.  Tony's parents really make us all feel special on our birthdays and other days of year with their thoughtfulness.  They have taught us many things and we are very grateful to them.   

The Month of Gratitude

November is the month to be thankful.  Some of my friends are doing a list of all the things they are grateful for each day this month and I think that is a good idea.  I am already a day behind.  I really have been so blessed in my life and I am excited to chart some of these blessings each day until Thanksgiving.

#1 - Tony.  Tony is a great husband and dad.  He is so good to me.  I am so needy and Tony is so good to take care of me and the kids.  I love having him home and I am pretty selfish with his time.  He really seems to enjoy being home and spending time with the family.  He doesn't go out with buddies and ditch his family to do "more fun things" - he is home with his wife and kids (and likes it).  He is willing to help me, our neighbors, our family members or anyone who is in need of help (you just have to ask).
He is a super fun dad, the kids all love him and love to play all over him.  He gets down and plays with his kids, and I love that.  He loves all kids, not just his.  He is the fun uncle who takes the time to play with all the nieces and nephews.
Tony is a hard worker.  He has goals and he will make those goals.  He gets compliments often at work about what a good worker he is and how impressed people are with him.  Tony has a real talents for machines and computers and can take a new piece of equipment and learn it faster then anyone else.  He is a good provider.
Tony has a strong testimony of the church and is a great priesthood holder.  He is always willing to give blessings when needed and knows a lot about the church and the scriptures.  If I every have a question about the scriptures or the church I know that Tony will know the answer.
Tony is also very handy.  He has made our home look so nice with all the updates he's done.  He can do pluming, painting, electrical, work on our cars, and much much more.  He is amazing!  I am so blessed to have such an amazing husband. 

#2 - My kids.  I am so blessed to have three super cute and good kids.  They drive me crazy sometimes and make me yell way too much, but I sure do love them.  Tyler is such a sweet heart.  He asks me for hugs and kisses like twenty times a day.  He is so good with Megan and can be such a good helper.  Josh is so funny.  He has started giving me more hugs and kisses just like Tyler.  He loves to ride his bike and be totally active at everything.  Megan is such a go getter.  She gets so proud of her self when she crawls around the house and pulls up on things.  I feel like I should also mention Koda Dog.  He is like one of our kids.  He really is a good dog and I am so glad that we have him in our lives.  He is such a good protector of our family and is a good companion.  They are such a great bunch of kids and I am so lucky and blessed to have them in my life.

Halloween

Megan after our trip to Grandma's

Today is Halloween and boy was it a fun one.  It started with taking Tyler to school and staying for the parade of costumes.  After we dropped him off we headed to the cafeteria to get seats for the parade.  We got seats close to some friends and Tony's mom met us there.  Tyler was one of the first ones to come out behind his teacher (he loves being the leader).  So we saw him for a couple seconds and then had to wait for the rest of kids to go by.  It was pretty fun since I knew a lot of the kids through the primary at church.

Josh (cowboy) saying "Ye Haw" and Tyler our Knight

Tony with our baby bumble bee

Megan woke up extra early this morning so she was pretty tired and fussy most of the time.  She fell asleep right when it was all over.  So then we walked home and put her to bed.  Lucky for me she stayed asleep for another hour.  Tyler got out early today so I had to have a neighbor come sit at my house while I walked to the school to get Tyler.
Earlier this afternoon I took the kids to go trick-or-treating at Grandma's house.  We hung out at my parents for a while and then we stopped at Grandma Margie's.  Then we headed back home to get ready for the evening.  I got a take-n-bake pizza from Costco and so I just had to cook it and we had us some easy yummy dinner.

Our cute trick-or-treaters

Then it was time to get the kids dressed and start the trick-or-treating.  Megan was going to just go to a couple of our neighbors houses to show off how cute she is, but since the weather was so nice she got to go with the boys to the truck-or-treat.  She feel asleep at the truck-or-treat and so Tony just kept her with him while they did more trick-or-treating around the neighborhood.  They came back about two hours after they started.  Tyler said he was done and his hands hurt (not really sure why, holding his bag I guess) and then Josh was done too until he saw the neighbor girl out and then he wanted to go more with his friend.  So Tony took Josh to a couple more houses but then Josh got tired and was done.
Both Josh and Tyler LOVED handing out candy.  They would fight over who would get to give out the treats to the kids.  I had to have them take turns to solve that problem.  We let them stay up and pass out candy until about 8:00 and then we turned out our lights and put all the kids to bed.  Megan was more then ready for bed.
Last night we carved our pumpkin.  Tyler named him Jack.  Tyler wanted him to be winking, so I did the best I could.  Tyler helped me take out the seeds and the icky stuff.  He was really into it this year and it was fun to do that with him.  Josh sort of watched, but wasn't very interested.  Tony feed Megan while we did the pumpkin.

Tyler showing us his seeds

Speaking of Megan...that poor baby.  Still has the runs and today threw up all over me and my moms floor this afternoon.  I did give her some chocolate - that probably wasn't the best idea since she already had a fussy tummy.  I did take Megan into the doctor on Monday and she told me that Megan just has a bug and since she is so small it just takes her longer to get over illnesses.  So that pretty much sucks.  I thought maybe she was getting a little better, but now I am not so sure.  She did seem to be more happy today, not as fussy as she was.  I just hope that she gets better soon.

Our finished pumpkin "Jack"

We did decide to just move her into her crib in the boys room.  Since she can kneel and pull her self up, we had to take off the bassinet of the pack-n-play and put her at the bottom.  She didn't seem to like that at all.  So we moved her in the crib and she seems to do better in the crib.  We can still hear her when she wakes up in the night and she hasn't woken up the boys yet, so that is really good.  Sad to say, but I am so glad to have her out of our room now.  I love my baby, but I need sleep.

Comings and Goings

Our poor little Megan has been sick for a week and a half now.  It all started with the fever that didn't break for three days and then it was just cold issues, like runny/stuffy nose and a small cough.  Then Friday afternoon is when the diarrhea started.  With diarrhea comes many other problems...diaper rash, tummy hurting, and the worst is that she hasn't been eating very well.  She did eat some baby cereal with bananas twice today, but she only had maybe 15 ounces of formula all day.  If she still has it tomorrow I am going to call the doctor.  Megan definitely doesn't have any weight to be loosing by not eating.  We really need our baby to get healthy again - we could really use a good night sleep too.
I have been having a hard time with my memory these days.  I don't forget my keys or the kids, but peoples names and things that I have been asked to do (like for my calling) and it isn't fun.  I feel like people are going to think that I am irresponsible or not reliable, but my brain is just mush.  I think it is my lack of sleep.  My most important responsibility is my family and so I only remember stuff for them...oh I don't know.  I am nuts. I really need to start getting better sleep soon (I am sure that Tony could use better sleep too).

We had our first fire of the season on Monday.  It was really cold and the fire was really nice.  We also got our new foam cover for the fire place.  It isn't as nice as we thought it was going to be, but it works to protect Megan from hurting her self.  So now we just have to hope that Tyler, Josh, and/or Koda doesn't destroy it.
We had our Primary Program today.  I was told by many people that they thought it was really good.  We did less speaking parts and more songs and I think that it turned out pretty good.  Tyler didn't have a speaking part, but he did pretty good singing the songs.  He got to sit right in front where the Bishop normally sits.  Tony's dad came and supported us by coming to our sacrament.  He stayed for the rest of church and then joined us for dinner.  It was nice spending time with Grandpa and having him spend the afternoon at our house.
We all went in the front yard and watched Tyler and Josh ride their bikes.  They both ride really good on their bikes.  Josh wanted Tony to take off his training wheels on Saturday, so Tony did.  Josh had a hard time, but didn't try for very long.  Tony put back on the training wheels, but thought that if Josh would have tried another five minutes he might have learn to ride without training wheels.  Maybe he'll try again if the weather holds, otherwise it might have to wait until next Spring.
Halloween is on Wednesday.  The boys are really excited.  Tyler will get to do the school parade that morning and then have a class party, so that should be super fun.  Josh's preschool isn't going to dress up or do a party - bummer for them.  I guess the preschool doesn't celebrate holidays specifically.  His teacher said that they will do fun "autumn" activities, but nothing Halloween specific.  Our ward is doing Truck-or-Treat on Halloween night.  It starts pretty early at 5:30 so I am happy about that.  I would like my kids to start when it's light so that they aren't out when it is so cold and dark.  Should be a fun day - gotta love Halloween.

Megan is crawling

It was official earlier this week.  She has been so close for a couple of weeks now.  She would roll around and almost get up to the sitting position by her self (just had the one arm down holding her up) and then get on all fours and rock.  She would then move one hand forward and then thrust her body forward.  Then she would move get a couple more arm steps in and then thrust.  But then she slowly figured out how to have her arms and legs work together.  Now she is crawling all over.
Megan technically was able to sit up on her own before she crawled.  Tony and I were taking bets on which she would do first.  Last week she started lifting up her arm while seated and was able to balance her self.  Now I can put her down on the floor seated and she can go from there.  With this new movement we are super concerned about her hurting her self on our fire place.  So we are going to get a foam cover for it to keep her safe.  That would just break my heart if she hit her head on that thing.

We are no strangers to babies who are quick movers.  Tyler crawled at 6 months and walked at 9 months.  Josh was more average and crawled at 9 months and walked by his first birthday.  So Megan crawling this early was not that surprising for us.  I didn't really want her that mobile already, but what can you do?  She has a mind of her own and is a baby on a mission.  She also loves to stand up.  She can't stand up on her own, but she can stand on her own for a like 10 seconds or so.  She likes to stand on her tippy toes and she looks like a ballerina.  It is fun to see her hit these milestones - but I would be okay if she took a while before walking.
Megan and Josh currently have colds.  Megan got a fever on Thursday and it has come and gone everyday since.  I have had to give her meds everyday and I hate having to do that.  It did help her fever and I think (hope and pray) that she is on the getting better end of this cold.  Josh has just been stuffy, so I hope that it doesn't get any worse.

Wheeler Farm

Tony had the day off yesterday so after Tyler's school and lunch we decided to head to Wheeler Farm and checked our their corn maze and the animals. 
We found out that the maze was expensive (like $30 for our little family to do the little maze) so we decided to just look at the animals and then let the kids play on the playground.  The weather turned out really nice and warm and it was the perfect day to go. 

Tyler was being a pill at first and only wanted to see certain animals and then he just wanted to play, but Josh and Megan did really good.  Josh just LOVES animals and loves to pet them.  He tried to pet the ducks, but they just waddled away from him.  So he would waddle too and say, "waddle waddle waddle."  It was pretty funny. 

They have a pretty fun and big play ground that the kids really enjoyed playing in.  Tony got right in and helped all the kids getting up all the steps.  Tyler was especially photo hungry yesterday so I figured if he was posing I was shooting.  Josh on the other hand, I was lucky I got the one picture that I did.  I am glad that we went and enjoyed the nice weather while we had it.  It was super cold today and suppose to be for a couple more days.  It is definitely fall in Utah.