And we're still coughing

Yep, that's right.  All four of us are still coughing.  This cold needs to leave this house and never, ever come back.  I must say that we are at least sounding better, but the coughs still lingers.  I finished my antibiotics from the bronchitis that I had last week.  My lungs are feeling tons better, but I am still coughing.  Laughing always brings on my coughs.  Crying really gets the boys coughs going...then it usually ends in them throwing up from coughing so hard.  I have been giving them their vitamins daily and trying to up their intake of vitamin C, I only hope that these things are working.

The other day Tyler was being a pill and he was sent to his room.  After a couple minutes I went in there to check on him and I found him sitting in the closet pouting.  So I left him there to pout.  After a while I noticed that he still hadn't come out so I went and found him asleep on the hard toy chest.  I figured he must have been pretty tired because of how he was acting, but I didn't think he would fall asleep on the toy chest.  I checked on him about a half an hour later and he had moved to the bed and covered himself with pillows and blankets and went back to sleep.  Then last night Tyler fell asleep at 6:30 pm in the chair.  This cold is really taking a lot out of him.  I'm glad he's getting the extra sleep his little body needs.  Josh has slept in a couple times, but still hasn't been napping.  I guess those days truly are over.  I wish he would've waited until this next baby was at least six months old to stop napping, but I guess this way Tony and I get to enjoy quiet evenings.

One year older and wiser too...

Yesterday I turned 31 years old.  It is kind of weird getting older each year.  The numbers get larger, but I don't feel like I am that much older then I did when I was, say 25.  We did most our celebrating over the weekend, so it was a pretty low key day.
They boys and I all have coughs so we spent the day staying in.  We watched kid shows on the Wii and played many a game on the Wii as well.  Tyler is getting really good at being able to turn everything on and do it all himself, so he has been playing the Wii a lot more lately.  It is really nice for me to not have to set everything up every time. 
My friend and neighbor, Gwen, bought the boys over a Valentine's treat and me a birthday present (a candle and yummy cupcake).  Then she stayed a chatted for a while.  It was just what I needed.  The day seemed to be going by so slow, but she really helped to make the day more enjoyable.  Plus the boys love playing with her little girl, Ava, so it was a win - win.  Unless they get our coughs, then I will feel bad.
Tony picked up some Cafe Rio on his way home from work and we all enjoyed our yummy food.  While we were eating my friend, Natalie, stopped by and gave me a card with a coupon for a lunch and "pre-delivery' pedicure as a birthday gift to me.  Natalie really is too good to me and spoils me often.  She is a very good friend and we always have a good time together (despite our 12 year age difference).  Also I found some cookies and conversation hearts left on my door step.  I think they were from my friend Bronwynn.  We were suppose to go to the Library with her and her kids, but with the coughs I had to cancel.  She mentioned that she might drop some off.  Then to top it off our most favorite adopted grandparents (Brother and Sister Baumann - from two doors down) stopped by with cookies and puzzles for the boys.  They spoil us too.  We really are so lucky and blessed to have so many amazing friends and neighbors.
After dinner Tyler's cough got worse and he started throwing up after a big coughing spell.  We put him in the bath and it seemed like it was just getting worse and worse.  We decided to give him a breathing treatment just to see if that would help at all.  It seemed to help a little, but he just couldn't stop coughing.  So I called my neighbor, "Uncle" Max - who is a repository therapist, and talked to him about Tyler and Josh and what he thought we should do.  He talked to me about a couple different things and then he said to bring them over and he would listen to their breathing.  Normally he comes to our house but he had just had an angio that day and needed to stay where he was - he so good to us to listen to the boys.  He said that both their breathing sounded good so to give them something to stop the coughing.  I had some Robitussin Cough that a pharmacist said I could give the boys, just in a smaller then adult dose, so that's what we did.  After about ten minutes  Josh was sounding better so I put him to bed.  Then I tried to put Tyler to bed, but his poor cough just wouldn't stop.  Every two seconds - the poor kid.  So I asked Tony to give him a blessing.  After the blessing we let him stay up with us for a while and within about 15 minutes he feel asleep in my arms.  I was glad that he was able to sleep because our next step was to take him into the Urgent Care.  Thank heaven for blessings and for husbands who have the priesthood to give the blessings.
Tyler did wake a couple different times coughing, but never enough to get out of bed.  I was very grateful for that.  Josh did pretty good until about 5:00 and then he had a hard time getting back to sleep because of his coughing.  He eventually did and they both seem to be feeling fine today.  They still cough, but it isn't constant and they have high spirits.  Me, on the other hand, is coughing worse each day that goes by.  I sure hope that it doesn't get worse where I have to go into the doctor.  We are all staying home again today, so lets hope that another lazy day will be good for us all.
So as far as romance, there wasn't any - but their was a lot of love.  Tony sent me a very sweet text that morning about how much he loved me and how he couldn't ask for a better wife and mother to his children.  It was very sweet and made me cry.  Tony also bought me some new slippers.  Koda, the dog, had gotten both pairs of old slippers and chewed them up, so it was very thoughtful of him to buy me some nice new ones.  Tony's not always the best with words and telling me how he is feeling, but I do always know that he loves me and would do anything for me.  I really am so blessed to have him as a husband and best friend.  We always have a good time together and I am so glad that he is stuck with me for eternity.  We really do make a great team and I couldn't ask for anything more!

Weekend fun

Random picture of Josh - love him!

This weekend started off by my taking the boys to Steenblik's for a sleepover with Grandma and Grandpa.  I dropped them off in the afternoon because I had an appointment with my midwife.
My midwife says that everything is looking pretty good and that I am measuring right on for my weeks.  The heart beat sounds strong and no protein or sugars in my urine.  My next appointment is in two weeks and then I will get my Group B test done and she'll check to see if I have started "progressing."  That is when things start to get exciting - okay, it's really only exciting if you actually start progressing and continue to progress.  Otherwise, it is kind of sad to stay the same each week.  Guess we'll find out as the weeks come.
After my appointment I met Tony at home and then we headed out to go to dinner.  After trying three different places whose wait time was way too long, we ended up at Lone Star Steakhouse where my sister, Teagan works.  The food was good and it was fun to see her working there.  They even gave us a discount because we were her family.  So that was fun.  After dinner we headed over to walk around Costco (because we are that cool).  Then we headed home where we pretty much just watched some TV and then went to bed (yep, we are party animals).
Then next morning we decided to go over the Walmart and Sam's Club and walk around.  Shopping without kids is so nice.  After that we went over to my sister, Julie's house to see how their addition was looking.  My sister wasn't there so we stopped by my parents for a visit and then headed back to Julie's.  We all decided to go to lunch after Julie's husband Boyd was finished with his first coat of paint.  So while we waited, Tony and I went with my mom to Costco to get some things for dinner the next day.  By the time we got back, Boyd was pretty much ready to go.  We all headed over to Culver's and had lunch.  It was pretty good.  Tony and I had wanted to go there for a while, so it was nice to actually try their food.  After lunch we went back to the Steenblik's to pick up the boys.
The boys had a wonderful time playing and having a sleep over with, not only the grandparents, but with their cousins too.  We ended up staying there for about an hour letting the kids play more and then headed back home.  The boys were super tired from all their fun and went to bed nice and early that night.
On Sunday we went to my parents house to celebrate my birthday.  We had a nice dinner and a lot of our family was there.  The boys had tons of fun playing with more cousins and we enjoyed chatting with the family.  I asked my mom for a pedicure for my birthday, so I am excited to go and get pretty toes one of these days before the baby comes.  All in all it was lots of fun.  We sure do love our families and are so thankful for all that they do for us.  We sure are lucky people!

Happenings

Our little baseball player

It's been a while and I keep thinking that I will come down and update my blog, but then I never do it.  Even now I am typing and have no idea what to blog about.  Our life has been pretty uneventful lately.  Tony goes to work while we either stay home and hang out all day or we take Tyler to school while Josh and I go to my parents house to hang out until Tyler's school is over...pretty awesome stuff.
Josh did throw up two times this week in the car and then was pretty happy after.  Both times were when we were almost to my parents house after dropping off Tyler at school.  I don't know why he did it, but doesn't seem to have a bug.  I'm sure he just figures that I just love to clean so he would give me more work to do...isn't that nice.  That seems to happen a lot around here, "mom's bored let's give her more work to do."  Maybe it's just because I am so tired and impatient and big that I'm just interpreting my children's normal behavior as something extreme.   Probably...pregnant Michelle isn't a very patient Michelle.

Adorable!

We are about two and a half months away from baby #3 joining our family.  We are getting excited, but it still seems really far away to me.  I am sure it will go fast, but as of now still seems far away.  We have been given some baby girl clothes from a neighbor, so we have at least some things for her first couple months.  Tony and I have only bought like one outfit since we found out we are having a girl - and that's because it was on sale.  I have had a couple other people tell me that they would give me some of their old girl cloths, so we will see if that actually happens.  We really don't want to buy a bunch of stuff if we will get clothes from others.  Then whatever happens, we will just buy as needed.  It's a little over whelming to think about, so it has been helpful to know that we are pretty good for the first couple months.
Tyler and Josh seem excited for the baby.  They both hug and kiss my tummy everyday.  Tyler is such a good big brother to Josh I really look forward to seeing him with a little sister.  I will probably just be forgotten by all my boys (especially Tony) once she comes...guess we'll see.
I have been getting pretty sick again.  I guess I'm not too surprised since it keeps coming and going - more coming then going.  But all her checkups have looked good and she is a good mover.  Being sick a lot is just part of the job of making a baby.  It is all worth it once the baby is here.  Okay, that is enough of my ramblings for one day.

Christmas 2011

Tyler in the morning before church

I am about a week late writing about Christmas, but every time I thought about doing it - it just seemed overwhelming, so I didn't.  But I have now put the pictures on the computer and have plenty of time to write about all the fun that we had this year.
We started the fun on Christmas Eve by going to see the Muppet Movie with my family.  It was a pretty cute movie and the boys did pretty good the whole time.  Tyler watched the whole time and didn't get bored, so that was an improvement from the last time we went to the movies.  Josh kind of played around the isle and here and there, but for the most part did pretty good.  My boys (okay, all of us) LOVE popcorn, so that pretty much kept them happy most of the time.  

Tyler excited to start the opening of the presents

Tyler and his snow globe

After the movie we went back to our house to get ready to go to Tony's parents house for the annual Kresser Family Christmas party.  This is one of my favorite parties of the year.  We get to see lots of family members that we don't see very often and then we eat lots of yummy food and then have a gift exchange, not only for the adults but for the kids too.  The icing on the cake this year is that Tony's grandparents were able to come up from St. George so we got to see them a couple times while they were here.  It is so nice spending time with family - I wish more of my extended family lived closer.  After the party Tony's mom always has pajamas for the kids and then they wear them home.  It is such a nice and happy feeling after everyone is gone and it's just Tony's immediate family there and we sit and chat and have the kids open their pajamas - I think that is my most favorite part.

Josh playing with his new tool bench, that's all he really cared about

Opening the goods

Then we took the boys home and put them straight to bed.  Then Tony and I got out the gifts for the kids and Tony put together a tool bench that we got for the boys.  After it was all set, we went to bed - wonderful bed.  Then that morning when Josh and Tyler woke up we let the boys play with the tool bench and open their stockings before church.  Once Josh saw the tool bench, he didn't care about anything else.  So Tyler just opened his stocking.  Then we got ready and went to church.  Josh and Tyler both got colds that started that morning, so Josh was pretty sick during sacrament.  Luckily it only went an hour and then we headed back home to change and open the gifts from Santa and mom and dad.  Josh liked opening the big presents, but pretty much just wanted to play with the tool bench.  So we skipped him a lot and by the end just let Tyler open the rest of Josh's gifts.  They always have to share with each other anyway, so it worked.  Tony got me a new video camera and I got Tony a remote control car, deep frier, and BYU shirt, and some Swedish Fish (half of that was for his birthday - which was yesterday).  We then played around with all the new goods before we headed over to Grandma Margie's.
When we got there we made some lunch and ate before we did presents with them.  Tony's parents were very generous and we always feel spoiled and loved by them.  The boys got some nice new Sunday clothes and some fun toys to add to their collection - more tools for Josh...he can't get enough.  Then after playing for a while we headed over to my parents for some more food and presents.  We once again got spoiled and then enjoyed a lovely Christmas dinner with the family.  Then after dinner we headed home for some relaxation at our own home.  We had a wonderful time and are very grateful for all the love and support that we have received from our friends, neighbors, and most importantly our family.  It truly was a Merry Christmas!

Who needs sleep?

Obviously not me.  I have been having such a hard time sleeping these days.  I go to sleep easy enough, but then I have to get up to use the potty like six times a night and then around 5-6 I am wide awake feeling like crap so I can't get back to sleep.  It's pretty crazy.  But, while I am up so early, I might as well be productive...so here I am.
Last night we had a Christmas party at my parents house.  We had a couple cousins come and most the siblings.  We ate some food and then played a "White Elephant" game.  The kids had fun playing with each other and being silly while the adults talked and played the game.  It was good to visit and let the kids play.  I think this cold weather has been hard for them to not get to play outside or with other kids very often.  Over all I thought it was a successful night.
Today we plan on seeing the Muppet Movie with my family and then we have the Kresser Christmas party tonight.  That is always a good time.  I look forward to seeing many family member we haven't seen in a while and to have a fun gift exchange as well.
Then one more night and it will be Christmas.  Tyler can't wait.  He is so excited for Santa and the presents.  I just hope that this new "attitude" with chill out soon, he has been such a pill lately.  I don't know if it is the age, the cold weather, all the treats, the anticipation of Christmas, what...but he has attitude - and I don't like it.  For the most part he is still an amazing kid, but he has been giving me a run for my money these days.  Maybe it's my lack of sleep...lack of patience...naw couldn't be that.

Tyler's Christmas Play

Tyler had his first preschool play on Friday.  It was the tail of the "Littlest Tree."  He was first assigned to be the medium tree, but he didn't want to be a tree so then he was changed be the Daddy.  He was happy with his new role, and did great being the dad who chopped down the tree.  It was a very short play and they sang about five songs that I had never heard before.  For example, "Red and Green are Christmas Colors."  That was Tyler's favorite.  Both my mom and Tony's mom came and Tyler just loved that his grandma's were there.  It was fun to see him participate and not just sit and pout (a fear I think every mother has about their children at this age).
Josh just thought that he was a big boy and that he should be part of the play as well, so he went and sat up at the fire place with all the other kids.  Luckily he just sat there quietly and didn't bother anyone or disturb the play.  Josh will definitely be ready for preschool whenever I decide to put him in one.  I am sure that if he had his choice he would go right now with Tyler.  But I think that Josh has a good time hanging at grandma's while Tyler's at school.  He'll miss that next year when Tyler is at Kindergarten and we are stuck at home all the time.  Tyler only has preschool one more day this year and then he is off for a week and a half.  Lucky me...Maybe it will at least snow so we can have some fun in the snow...

Breakfast with Santa

"I want a new watch"

"I want a snow globe with plastic on top"

We had our Breakfast with Santa on Saturday.  It went pretty good.  We had lots of people and plenty of food, so I call that a success.  Tyler was really excited to tell Santa exactly what he wanted and had it all planned out in his head what he was going to say.  As soon as he sat on his lap, his list came out...."I want a snow globe with plastic on top, a new watch because my other one is too small, and a new yo-yo because my other one broke," and then he went to get off his lap.  He didn't care about the candy cane or anything else after that.  So we told him to stay there to get a picture and then we put Josh on the other leg to get a picture with both of them.  After Tyler got off Santa asked Josh what he wanted for Christmas and Josh shrugged his shoulders as if to say "I don't know" but then he pointed down to Santa's bag of treats and said he wanted that.  It was pretty funny.  That kid sure does like his treats.  So it was a success with Santa this year - thank goodness.
 Can you guess who thinks he doesn't needs to take naps?  Yep, it's Josh.  My two years and three month old boy.  WAY too young to not take naps.  On the days that he doesn't take a nap then he goes to bed nice and early, between seven and seven thirty.  So that is nice to have Tyler and Josh down so early, but I have really been missing my time to get things done while Josh naps.  He will take a nap about every third day - silly kid.  For the most part he doesn't get too grumpy, luckily, and it's been working out okay.  I do still lay down with him while he drinks his milk and then after about a half an hour or so if he's still wide awake then I will let him get up.  At least it is a little quite time for the both of us.  I guess we'll see how long this lasts, Tyler napped until he was over three - maybe when it gets warmer again and he's playing outside more he will get more tired...I'm pretty sure I am going to want him to nap after the baby gets here...less for me to deal with!

I love the Holidays

Well, we sort of gave up potty training Josh.  We put the diapers back on him.  He will still occasionally tell us when he needs to go pee, generally at the store or in church.  I figure he does this to get out of the cart or out of sacrament - he's a smart kid.  But he was having way too many accidents at home and I was getting tired of asking him every ten minutes if he had to go potty.  We will watch for more signs of readiness and try again.  I am still looking at summer when things have settled down after the baby comes and the weather is warmer.  We will see.
We are all decorated and getting ready for Christmas.  It is so much fun to have the lights on the house and the tree all decorated.  I love to just sit in the front room with just the tree lights on and just look at the tree and think.  I used to do that as a kid and I have loved doing it ever since.  It is just so peaceful and almost reverent. 
I love this time of year.  Tyler wants to make us "gifts" every day.  They usually consist of him drawing on a piece of paper and then cutting it up into a shape of some sort.  It is fun to see him enjoying making things and wanting to do things for others.  I plan on starting to bake next Friday to get ready for my neighbor gifts.  It is fun sending all my boys out to deliver the gifts and to see them having fun giving things and not just receiving.  Our neighbors are really awesome and always spoil us.  I enjoy giving back to them - hope they like my goodies I'll be making.
I got a new calling a couple of weeks ago.  I am now the 1st counselor in the Primary.  I have never really served in the Primary, so I am learning a lot of new things.  The presidency is made of some really fun ladies and I hope that we can all have a good time serving the kids.  So far it has been really good, and really busy.  I have my first sharing time on Sunday and it seems fairly straight forward, so I am not too worried.  We did get but in charge of our wards Breakfast with Santa this Saturday, so that is a lot of work.  I am sure it will work out fine.  Luckily my past calling will serve me well with putting it all together since the Primary President won't be able to attend.  My only concern is that we'll get everything set up in time.  I guess if it's not perfect, o-well.  I'm sure the ward members will still love us.  At least they better.

Potty Trainging Josh

So we started potty training Josh last Wednesday.  Tony thought he was ready and I wanted to wait until summer, but I told him that if he thought Josh was ready then he could potty train him when he had some time off for Thanksgiving.  He has been doing okay.  Some days are much better then others.  We have to ask him a lot if he has to go potty and he sometimes will tell us if he has to go.  Half the time I like that we are doing it and then other half I wish we had waited.  I guess we will give it some more time and see how he does.  He seems a little young to me, but if we can get him out of diapers, then that would be great.  He isn't motivated by being called a "Big Boy" so that kind of sucks.  I guess we'll see.