On the Mend?

Well, we made it through another looong day.
It was a little more peaceful, for me at least, than it has been, but it was still pretty rough. Ati did a lot of sleeping, and Eli was somewhat entertained by movies for a lot of the day.
Of course, I spent almost all of my “quiet time” doing something with food. First, I did some baking and experimenting with a pumpkin muffin recipe I love. I tried to make them cream cheese filled, which ended up being a strange disaster; but I also added chocolate chips and made pumpkin chocolate chip cookies that were actually quite delicious. I ate WAY too many, and lots and lots of cream cheese frosting. I have a MAjor weakness for cream cheese frosting; it CALLS to me… and I just can’t stop myself! Anyway, after the sweetness attack I spent lots of time looking up recipes, trying to find something yummy for dinner (then, of course, I spent the rest of the time preparing the dinner). I finally decided on Chicken fried Chicken and a side of Au Gratin potatoes; which, turned out quite delicious as well. What a delicious day, no wonder my tummy hurts…ugh.
Somewhere in the midst of the food and the sick babies I did get a “package”. John sent me some flowers to brighten my day, and it really made me smile. I love flowers; they’re always nice to have. They’re really nice flowers, too; Irises and tulips, and they bloom in the vase. Right now they are still in their sleeve, while they drink enough water to start blooming. I love my sweet husband, he’s so thoughtful; and I really appreciate all he does for me.



Ok, back to a more serious matter: the little people I love so dearly
…Eli seems to be heading “uphill” now, and I am really grateful for that. He was in a much better mood, but there were still parts of the day that he just wanted to lay on the floor. He hasn’t had a fever, hasn’t thrown up, and has a bit more of an appetite. His diarrhea (sorry, that’s such a gross word) is getting better too; not as stinky, not as soupy, and not as often. I predict that he’ll be mostly better tomorrow, and by Saturday he should be fine…sooo, here’s for hoping (holding my breath).
…Ati, on the other hand, is not well at all. She is severely ill; I don’t think I’ve ever seen her this bad. She’s eaten almost nothing since Monday, and everything she has managed to eat has ended up in her little pink bucket that I make her carry around. She hasn’t wanted to wear any clothes, because she gets really hot, so she’s been just in her underwear, and I can see every bone in her body. She’s always been a very small and thin girl, but she seems to be melting away. I’ve been pretty paranoid about dehydration and have at least made sure she’s getting enough to drink. She was able to keep down liquids most of the morning (I gave her an ounce at a time, every 20-30 min, throughout the day) and around lunch time she actually had a small appetite and was eating cheez-it crackers. There were a few hours during the afternoon that I saw a light at the end of the tunnel, and she seemed almost back to normal. But by dinner time she was heading back down hill, fast. She was just moaning and couldn’t communicate what was wrong. When we finally put her in bed she vomited everything she’d eaten the entire day-which was almost nothing, but for some reason mysteriously multiplies when it comes back out. We put her in the bath and cleaned her up, put all her bedding in the wash, and then put her back in bed. She’s been trying to sleep, but keeps moaning and crying in her sleep. I anticipate another eruption before too long; and probably another long night for me.
Last night when we put her in bed she hadn’t thrown up all day long, and I was extremely relieved and hopeful. Sadly, she woke up around midnight, and threw up every 20-30 minutes until around 5am. I, of course, was up all that time too. Sometime in the night I learned that she had somehow been able to keep at least a tiny bit of food in her tummy, because she’s now moved on to the “bonus round” of this game, which includes the “diarrhea package” (gross word again, sorry, but hey at least I’m learning to spell it now). She finally went to sleep around 5ish, but then, of course, Malachi decided to get up. So, I fed him, and before I was able to put him back down (just before 6am) Eli was awake! That was it for me; I was done sleeping for the night. I must’ve been intuitive about it though because I actually had gone to bed at 8pm, which is really unusual.
Surprisingly, I’m holding up pretty well for someone who’s been dealing with sick kids and very little sleep all week. It’s amazing what we can do as parents, when it’s really necessary. There was actually a moment this evening, when Ati and Eli were finally in bed, Tad was quiet doing who knows what, and I was feeding Malachi before I put him down for the night, that I felt really peaceful. It was strange, but nice. This has been a hard week, but I know I’ll be stronger for going through it.

The Flu prevails…with a VENGEANCE

An update on my adventures in Flu land:

This sucker is a MEAN one! Horrible, horrible, nasty thing.
Ati was literally puking all day long (yesterday). Eli had severe diarrhea in the morning, was seeming to be a little better, but then woke up from his nap covered in vomit. There was so much vomit around his head that it soaked through the pillow (not dripping around the edges, actually THROUGH the pillow) to the sheets underneath. I was running back and forth between the two of them, cleaning up puke and poo, with Malachi (being only 8 months old) needing just as much attention; poor little fella keeps getting left behind.
Malachi’s also been acting a little more needy than usual, which makes me a little concerned he might be coming down with this thing. So far he hasn’t had any other problems. I just hope it stays that way.
After throwing him in the bath and cleaning him up I put Eli back down to finish his nap, sometime between 2p-3p (I didn’t pay attention to the time). He was really upset about it and screamed for about 5 minutes; then he actually fell asleep. I didn’t dare wake him up for dinner, he was still fast asleep; in fact, I just left him the rest of the night, and he ACtually slept through until 5am this morning. I was mostly sure he was ok and just needed the sleep (he’s had a rough ride), but a small part of me was very concerned and worried there might be something wrong. Thankfully he was just fine, and it was indeed a good idea to let him sleep it out. This morning Eli's been similar to yesterday morning: In an ok mood, but still whiney, and still lying around. I gave him some juice and a little bit of cereal. His diaper didn’t have a drop of wetness (after 14 hours!) when he woke up, but I was relieved when he finally did pee, after about an hour…then came the poops again! Yuk yuk yuk.
Ati went to sleep yesterday afternoon (shortly after Eli did), and I finally got to take a short breath. I put her in her bed around 4pm and she slept until around 630p. Then she was up and down for a few hours, still puking and feverish. During her waking hours yesterday, she puked at least every 30 minutes for the ENTIRE day. I’m so worried about them getting dehydrated, but I’ve been trying to watch closely for any signs of it. I called the Dr office to find out at what point I need to take them to a Dr or hospital, and basically all I can do is watch for dehydration or a fever greater than 104 (that won’t come down), and just “wait it out”...i soo hate to just wait it out, especially when it’s already been 4 days for Eli, and Ati just started yesterday. I anticipate it’ll go at least through the weekend, and that’s just best case scenario, assuming no one else gets it.

So, more fun news:
This morning I talked to a friend, and it actually turns out that the whole neighborhood’s got it! Yep, it’s not just my kids; that’s somewhat of a relief, but also kind of annoying…I was kinda hoping Eli got it from his Flu vaccine and that Ati only got it because of her fragile immune system (I just assume she has a fragile immune system), and that no one else would get it. Apparently, one of the ladies I go walking with had it last week, and she got it from her older kids (who know's where they got it), and now her younger kids have it. Tad is friends with her daughter and he’s been over to their house, plus a group of us and all our kids were together last Wednesday. The friend who told me about it has a daughter that goes to preschool with Ati, who was feeling ill this morning. I called the preschool and the teacher is going to bleach everything to hopefully prevent any spreading. What a pain! I honestly don’t remember ever going through anything this bad. My kids have had random sicknesses over the years, and some have been pretty bad, but amazingly nothing as bad as this. I think it also seems much worse because I’ve got two going through it at the same time, and it’s lasting SOoo long. We’ve even passed around the “stomach flu” before (you know, the 24 hour one), but it’s never been this bad or this long.
Well, the funny thing is that it’s actually allowed me some extra time on the computer. It just happens to be in the family room, where I have had the kids grouped together. It’s easier to take care of them all in one room, and plus it’s helpful to have the tv to let them relax to. So, it gives me time to just sit here, as I listen for the next bout of vomit, and smell for any revolting aroma’s (indicating time for a new diaper and a floor scrubbing), or a request from Ati to get her more to drink (at least she still wants to drink).
I'm sad that I will have to miss my walk again today. But, there are much worse things that could happen. I was actually feeling sympathy for all the mothers in history who have had to suffer through such severe illnesses with their children. All those who have lost multiple children, and just had to sit by their side an "wait it out". Those who didn't have the modern medicine and technology that we have to prevent and to treat the ailments. Feeling helpless and overwhelmed as they've done everything within their abilities and it just was enough. I have just a little taste of what it would've been like, and my heart aches for how horrible it must've been for them.

It's Official!

The freakish Flu festival of fun has begun! Those horrid little microscopic pests are among us, infecting my children, wreaking havoc, and causing me large amounts of grief. I HAaaTE the flu! But, who doesn’t?
I knew it was inevitable, and my suspicions were correctly verified around 5am this morning, when I was suddenly startled awake by the sound of vomit. Oh, vomit, what a wonderful sound…I can hear it from miles away, deep in a sleep. Although it was early in the morning I was strangely grateful and a bit surprised that she slept as long as she did. Ati, that is, being the newest victim. So far, thankfully, she seems to be doing ok (emotionally). She’s been rather pleasant and even somewhat helpful, it’s kinda weird. I think the key with Ati is preparation. She was prepared to be sick; because Eli’s been sick, and I sensed it in her by the way she’s been acting. I can tell when she’s “off”, and so I, too, was prepared for this morning. She slept with a bucket, and when she woke up to puke she got it mostly in the bucket.
Ati is a very interesting and complicated creature, and I’m sure I will never have her completely figured out, but it is reassuring to have learned the little bit about her that I have. She has an unusually high amount of energy inside that is overwhelming to her, and she has a difficult time controlling it. When her energy is out of control she can be an incredible BEAST, but when she is channeling it in a good way she can be an amazing and wonderful little being. I call her my Dr Jeckle and Mr Hyde. Today (so far… I hesitate to speak too soon), in the midst of the Flu, she is being “good Ati”, and I think it’s partly due to being prepared.
Eli seems to be on the mend, but is still far from being well. He woke up with no fever, but I can tell he’s still feeling bad. He’s been in better spirits, but is still moping; lying around, on the floor, and whining and pooing, lots of pooing (and leaking! Lots of leaking!). His poo is so rancid and smells like vomit…makes ME want to vomit.
Not only are the kids sick, but the house is sick…at least it SMELLS sick…the aroma is just fabulous. It’s gonna be a fun day! (singing) Cleaning up poo is fun to do, la la, la la, la la…All I can do now is hope that my precious little Malachi doesn’t get sick, and of course that John or I don’t get sick…what a disaster that would be!

Oct(opus)ober

This month has proven to be a busy one (the month of October, not Octopus). Not really busy in the fact that I did anything, but busy in the fact that I just haven’t had a moment to myself. That’s not completely true, because I do get a “moment” here and there (that would just be silly, otherwise), but never enough moments all in a row to really call my own. That’s how I feel life just is sometimes; a bunch of random moments, not really put together in any particular order. It makes me a little sad to not be able to record every moment, because I look back and can’t really remember what has happened, and don’t know where time has taken me. The days seem to be lost, from the world, forever…until, of course, one day, when I’m really old I might have some crazy person hypnotize me to draw out all my forgotten memories, and then I will find out that I’ve actually been abducted by aliens several times during my life…ha ha, maybe that would explain some things?

Anyway, to summarize October so far:
Baaaaaaaaaaah! Aaah! Bla..ugh
Yep... that about does it.

And now, an update on my life, as I know it:
Things are actually ok, life is normal. The weather has held up until just recently; it’s actually been quite beautiful, but now it’s getting really cold. I mention the weather because I’m still trying to walk 3 days a week, and am enjoying my new jogging stroller. I finally got a weather cover for it, and I’ll be trying it out this week. I’m hoping it will keep the kidlets warm enough to allow me to keep walking through the winter; if not, then I will be sad. Being healthy has been my obsession; it gives me something to focus on. I’ve especially enjoyed walking, it’s given me the biggest sense of accomplishment (I know, I’m pretty boring).
I know there are different “phases” in life, and I’m ok with that, and right now seems to be my “kids are driving me crazy ALL the time” phase. I’m really trying hard to work through it, and to actually enjoy them. There are a lot of times that I do enjoy them, they can be so cute and funny and I love them.
Right now Eli seems to have the Flu. It’s kind of funny because he’s one of the only ones to actually get a Flu shot…how’s that for irony? Anyway, he’s been all sorts of “leaky” and feverish, with fluids coming out all over the place, since Saturday. It’s hard when the little people (or any people, for that matter) are sick; I feel so bad for them; and it’s also so time consuming on my part. I had to skip my morning walk today, but I was able to go out this afternoon for a few minutes while Eli was taking a nap (grandpa was here while Eli slept).
Other than the freakish Flu fun, the kids are all doing fine, in general; nothing too interesting to complain about. They are also all sleeping through the night, for the most part, so that makes me very happy. Halloween keeps sneaking up on me, and I really can’t wait for it to be over; it’s my LEAst favorite holiday. Fortunately, the kids were excited when I got out their old costumes from last year. Kids are so funny, I was worried I’d have to buy them new costumes, but they don’t seem to be too concerned, so that’s nice.

Ok, sorry to rant and run, but that about does it for now…thanks for stoppin’ by!

The Wedding

Sept 20, 2008
Well, looking back now, I guess there’s really not much I have to say about it. It was a wedding. John’s sister, Karla, got married, yay! We are so excited about that.
We got all dressed up, watched them get married, ate some food, the kids danced, and then we ate some cake. It was a pretty good day. Here are a few pictures of the blessed event.

Ati...


Eli...


Tad...


Malachi (because it's funny)...


John and Eli...


Me and Eli (he has to bend down whenever I do)...


Our Family (who took this crooked picture?)...


Eli looking sweet with the boquet (and my STUPID finger!)


And, of course, the happy couple...

Thee MALL

John’s sister, Karla, got married on Saturday (sept 20). We had plenty of time to plan for it, but didn’t have any extra money until last week. We needed to buy some new clothes for a few of us to wear to the wedding. Tad had already outgrown his church clothes and needed new ones anyway, so the timing was great for him. Eli had also outgrown his white shirt, so he needed a new one. Ati was fine, she has plenty of dresses. John was mostly ok, he just needed a new tie, and I needed a new dress (I guess I didn’t really NEED one, I just wanted one).
In the past I’ve gotten some pretty good dress clothes from Burlington Coat Factory, so my plan was to drop Tad at the bus and then drive straight up to Orem to go to BCF. We made good time and arrived there about 5 minutes to 9am; I was rather annoyed to find out they don’t open until 10am! What a silly time to open. So, I drove to Kohl’s because I knew there was a new one opening next to the mall. But, of course, they weren’t open either, not until October 1st! I then decided to go to the mall, and waste some time until Burlington Coat Factory opened at 10am. I thought we’d do some window shopping and maybe get some snacks or drinks, it would be a fun little activity.
I decided to start at Mervyn’s because I thought I might actually find some pretty inexpensive, but nice, clothes there. The first thing we had to do was find the bathroom, because I had to pee. Of course, the bathroom was being cleaned, and the entrance was blocked by a big cleaning cart; my double stroller would definitely not fit by it. I waited a little while and browsed around the kids section, looking for clothes for Tad and Eli. I found Eli clothes right away, but could not find anything for Tad. So, I kept looking and looking. When I don’t find what I’m looking for I tend to get really confused, and spend extra time wandering around.
I went back to the bathroom, but it was still being cleaned. So, I browsed some more…still being cleaned. Finally, Eli was starting to stink, and I was gonna pee on the floor, so I asked someone if there was another bathroom. The lady told me to just go in when they’re cleaning, it’s no big deal! She walked me over there to help me get in, but by then they were done, and I just looked like a big idiot; but oh well. I changed Eli, and found out I only had 1 wipie left! I had to use wet paper towels, and hoped I wouldn’t have to change him again any time soon.
We did some more browsing in the kids section and I finally settled on a pair of pants for Tad (I was wanting to buy a whole suit) that I decided I would bring back if they didn’t fit or if I found something better. The cashier asked me if I wanted to apply for a Mervyn’s card to get a discount. I laughed out loud and told her I definitely wouldn’t qualify (I’ve recently slaughtered my credit), but she could run it anyway. I laughed even louder when she told me I was APPROVED! Immediately I felt like a kid in a candy shop. I suddenly had all this extra credit and I needed to buy more stuff! Plus, I got an extra discount all day, just for getting approved, so I HAD to take advantage of it.
I started browsing in the women’s section and the kids were now thirsty. I knew it was just going to be annoying if I didn’t take care of them, so we went to the food court to get some drinks. Suddenly they were starving too! By that time it was just after 10am, and we were on our way to buy lunch. It was really early to be eating lunch, but I thought it would hold them off for the rest of the trip.
Finally we went back to the women’s section. I was having a really hard time finding anything I liked, or in the right size, but ended up with a bunch of stuff that was “ok” that I wanted to try on. I had it all stacked on top of the stroller and was ready to try stuff on when suddenly Ati had to poooo. Ugh! I had to unload all my stuff, and then find the elevator to go back upstairs to the bathroom. When she was done and I was able to try stuff on Eli was at a point of being out of control. He was playing swords with the hangers, and banging them on the wall and doors. He was trying to escape from the dressing room by crawling under the door, which was just barely too small for him to fit under so he kept getting stuck and screaming. Malachi was trying to sleep and started screaming because he was being woken up. Ati was thirsty again. Eli was getting into the stuff under the stroller and throwing it everywhere; he got my phone and threw it out of the stall. I was stressing because nothing was fitting just right. I got dressed and went back out to find some different sizes. They still didn’t have the right sizes, but I made do with the next best things. While I was looking for more stuff to try on Eli was screaming because he wanted to get out of the stroller, and Malachi was just screaming. I finally let Eli out, but then him and Ati were running all over and hiding in the racks. I had to chase them around. People were giving me all kinds of dirty looks because of my screaming, out of control kids. When I thought I had lost Eli I decided that was ENOUGH, and he had to stay in the stroller, no matter how loud he was; and he was VERY loud.
I hurried back to the dressing room to try on more stuff. The kids were still being out of control, so I got even more stressed and just decided to buy everything and try it on at home. I did talk myself out of a bunch of the things, though, and only took home half of what I wasn’t sure about. I had been there for several hours, and was so stressed I wanted to just run away!
Ati was still thirsty, and had decided she wanted ice cream. I talked her into a milkshake (less mess), and got Eli a lemonade. I was so glad to be done and we were heading for the car when some lady came up to me and gave me a coupon for a free video game (or carousel ride). I thought “hey, why not” and took the kids to ride on the carousel, cause it was free, and free is good. That was finally the end (I thought) and we left the mall.
The baby was hungry, so before we drove away I fed him in the car.
Because I had the car it meant that I would have to pick up John from work. It was still kind of early, so to pass some time we went to Super Sonic to get the car washed, that’s always a nice treat. Then we drove to WalMart, and at last the kids ALL fell asleep…peace and quiet for about 30 minutes! It was a much needed break.
At WalMart I just needed to buy diapers, and we only had about 45 minutes before John got off work, so the WalMart trip was a quick one, not too painful. I did put a bunch of cute shirts and some shoes in my cart (for myself), but had talked myself out of them by the time we got to the check out (I tend to do that often-I have a hard time spending money on myself).
When I told John about the new Mervyn’s card he was just as excited as I had been, and wanted to go buy some more stuff. So, after he showered we loaded up again and headed BACK to the mall! Some of the employees were still there from earlier and they recognized me; I felt like part of the family! Well, this time it was a little more pleasant because I had John to help corral the kids. We did have to find the bathroom again, though, because Ati had to poo; but at least we knew right where it was!
After returning and buying a bunch of new stuff at Mervyn’s we went to Nordstrom’s. Nordstrom’s is really nice, and more expensive, but John wanted to buy me some perfume. It was actually kind of fun. The lady in the perfume section was very helpful and explained a bunch of stuff about perfume to us, and had us try all kinds of scents that she thought I would like. I picked out one that I liked the best, Juicy Couture, and it was Really expensive! But, it was a nice treat for me; hey, it’s good to be spoiled every once in a while.
By then we had been at the mall another 3 hours, it was past bedtime, and the kids were all acting tired and crazy (what else is new?). We hurried home, and the day at the mall was finally ending! The kids went to bed, and I was happy.
But, Ati woke up around 3am. She was freaking out, which she does sometimes. I almost expected it, though, because she tends to have “issues” when she goes to bed too late and is over tired. The other reason I expected it is that Malachi had finally started to sleep through the night, so Ati had to hop back on the non-sleeping train. It’s a fun little game they play…who can keep mommy up all night?

Catching up a bit…

A few highlights from the past week:

(Monday sept 15)
After Ati got picked up for preschool I sat down to feed Malachi. Sometimes I feel so helpless when I am feeding the baby, it’s like a free ticket for Eli to do his worst. During this specific instance he was in the kitchen pouring yogurt into his shoe. He then rubbed it all over his hands and arms and came running into the living room to rub yogurt on my leather couches. I had to remove the suckling baby and chase after the yogurty two year old. After containing the situation, and cleaning up the yogurt I went back to feeding my now screaming baby. Once again, free ticket! Eli was again in the kitchen, this time he climbed onto the table, stuck both hands in a full glass of water that happened to be sitting on the table, spilling water all over the table, himself and the floor. I once again cleaned it up, once again fed the baby; this time I actually got to finish. I then decided to exercise, and of course had Eli climbing on me the whole time. It’s really difficult to do “resisted reverse crunches” with a small child between my legs, but I managed through it, and after many more struggles of various kinds I eventually put him down for a nap.

(Tuesday sept 16)
I spent 7 hours at the mall!...but that’s a whole nuther post.

(Wednesday sept 17)
I walked Ati to preschool. Normally I go with a couple other moms around 1030a, we walk for about an hour, and we end our walk at the preschool to pick up our kids and walk home. Preschool is only about 5 blocks away, but it’s up a really steep hill (remember we live on the side of a mountain), so it’s too hard for the kids to walk up it, but they are mostly ok walking down it. Well, we decided to walk TO the school because we had other plans for later. So, I had to put Malachi in a baby carrier and wear him, then I had Eli and Ati (about 60 lbs of kid) in the stroller; all up hill! I really got my butt kicked! But, as soon as I dropped Ati at school and put Malachi in the stroller I felt so light that I thought I would float away, it was great!
I was so exhausted by the end of the day that I fell asleep just after 8pm. I did wake up after a little while though, because I HAD to eat some oreo’s! yuuuum… then went right back to sleep.

(Thursday sept 18)
Went for an extra walk (normally I just go on m, w, f when Ati’s at school) and had to take all the kids (except Tad, whose in 3rd grade). So, I walked the whole time while wearing Malachi. It is hard work! But, I’m determined to get my exercise in, having too many babies won’t stop me!
We also went out to dinner that night, after much debate (the debate was about who was going, where we were going, and if we were even going to go), with “Uncle Eric” (John’s Mother’s Brother) who was here from Canada for Karla’s wedding. We ended up going to the Cracker Barrel in Springville. The food was ok, but not real great; and it never really is.

Well, that’s a brief summary of a few days last week. I’ll write more about the Mall and the Wedding, later.

I have a lot to say...buuuuut....

...I just don't have the time to say it! I'm feeling extremely overwhelmed lately, just don't have any time for myself. It's really frustrating, and I'm trying to get through it. I've barely had time to shower daily (which is actually an improvement). I have a lot of anxiety, and I feel like I'm losing control of things.
Today I'm trying to take a break and relax as much as possible; otherwise I'm gonna freak out and probably start crying for no reason. Malachi just went down for a nap and Nicole (our niece) is playing with Ati and Eli, and they seem to be not making too much of a mess...(hmm, I spoke too soon, I just heard a really loud bucket of toys being dumped all over).
I want to not worry so much about trying to do everything, I just can't "let go", no matter how much I remind myself. I'm a control freak with Obsessive Perfectionism Disorder. I have to have everything in order or I start to freak out. I do understand that I'm just feeling emotional today, and I'll eventually get over it. I just want to pout right now, and ramble about my unstable emotional condition...that's all.
So, eventually I'll get around to posting about the exciting events of my life, like The Mall, The Wedding and other trivial things...but for now I'll just say that I still haven't finished the laundry (I don't know that I ever will), I don't know what we're going to have for dinner, my whole body is exhausted, and I really just want to have a nap...but, will I get a nap? no, probably not...too many things to do, too many kids, and too little time.
Well, at least I had a few minutes to say a bunch of stuff that doesn't really matter; that's always nice.

NON-poop related Weekend Activities:

Saturday I detail cleaned the outside of the fridge (with my super cleaner and a toothbrush!) and I did a pretty spiffy good job! It was so clean that every time I walked by it or went to open it I smiled with glee! I know, I’m crazy, but it made me really happy. After that, I was suddenly feeling extremely motivated to do home improvement. I got out some paint to finish painting the cupboards in the kitchen (which I still haven’t done yet), and John and I marked the countertop where we wanted to chop it off; it was just way too big and in the way, and the kitchen is too small for it.
While I was cleaning the fridge I had my “donkey tail” plant sitting on the counter. It's a pretty neat plant that came from my Grandma (who died in 2002). She had it for as long as I can remember, but most of it died when they moved to Utah in 1997. She was able to save a few branches and regrow the plant. Since she died I've been taking care of it, so it's kind of important to me. Eli kept trying to eat it. He thought it was grapes! It kind of looks like grapes, but I bet it tastes awful; I had to rescue my plant and explain to the kids that it is NOT grapes.

We also caught a big spider and put it in a ziplock bag (it’s still on the counter-haha, next to the paint!) so we can identify it. A friend of mine told me that the spiders we have in the area are actually Hobo Spiders, and I always thought they were Wolf Spiders. The Hobo Spider is actually poisonous, so if that is really what it is then we need to be concerned. John and I looked them up online (before we caught this one) and are pretty sure that they really are Hobo Spiders; now we just need to get around to actually looking closely at the one we caught to figure it out.

We decided to go out to lunch on Saturday, as a little family activity, and it was really nice. We don’t get to go out very often because money is tight, but it was nice to be able to do that. Then we bought some ice cream and had a little ice cream party later in the afternoon. I really like ice cream, it makes me happy.

Later that night I was still really motivated and was feeling great. I realized that it was probably because of all the walking I’ve been doing, and that makes me happy too.

Sunday morning we got up and got the kids ready for church really early, which was great, but for some strange reason we were crazy late actually getting to church; and it wasn’t the best day to be late because there was a missionary farewell AND homecoming. So, it was really crowded and we had to set up our own chairs way in the back (in the gym). It was annoying to be on the back row because that gave Eli free reign of the entire gym, and he knew it. He kept trying to escape so he could run around. Eventually some people came and sat behind us, so that contained him slightly.

Later in the evening we ended up doing a couple of little home improvement things because I was still feeling motivated from Saturday. John hung up some cupboards in the kids playroom for Tad’s stuff; to keep Eli out of it. He also put door knobs on the bathroom cupboard. I was really glad to have those things done because they were projects we started over 2 years ago! Yay, progress is good!

After being in the home improvement mood all weekend it made me think some more about our options for where we want to live. We’ve gone back and forth (and up and down, and all around) about our options. We’ve debated whether or not we want to stay here and remodel (and add on), or buy some land and build new, or buy a home that’s already existing. It’s such a difficult decision. We finally decided that “we’re not ready to decide”, but I actually feel good about any of those options. We really want to stay here, specifically in the ward we’re living in, so hopefully we’ll be able to. If we remodel this house we install a walk-out entry from the basement and also add a kitchenette. We'd remodel the main floor to include a master suite and a bigger kitchen; and we'd add a 2nd story with 3-4 bedrooms and a play room. It would be really nice to be able to do all that, but it might not be worth the cost, and we’d have to move out for several months while it was under construction. But, alas, we shall see….life has a way of working itself out.

Side Notes:
I Ate cereal and ice cream for dinner on Sunday, and we didn't feed the kids (we had a late lunch).

What a PooPy weekend

Literally!
I wanted to call Friday “the Day of Poo (and I don’t mean Winnie)”, but it turned out to be the whole weekend.
I am quite the expert when it comes to cleaning up poo. If it weren’t for me we’d all be swimming in it. Just to give a few examples, and recap the weekend of poo: On Friday (sept 12) afternoon I was getting ready to make dinner. I started getting out ingredients to make muffins when Ati started yelling that Eli had pooed on her backpack. I had heard him grunting, so I knew it was inevitable that I’d be changing his diaper soon, but I wasn’t ready to be cleaning anything else. Suddenly he was running toward me with a puddle on the floor and on the top of his foot. It was also dripping down his leg and smeared on Ati’s backpack that he happened to be wearing. While Ati was concerned about her backpack she didn’t notice the puddle on the floor that she was stepping in. Of course, as soon as she felt it on her foot she started to freak out, and she made a few more poopy footsteps across the kitchen floor.
I immediately began to assess the situation and yelled for everyone to “freeze! No one move!” I ran to my trusty box of wipies, while continuing to order everyone to “don’t move, don’t move”. I had to carefully wipe down Ati’s feet and the floor, then strategically move to work on Eli. I peeled off the backpack and wiped down his feet. Then I had to slide off his shorts and roll up his shirt (a one piece button around the diaper type shirt) to enclose the poo. Of course, the shorts left more streaks on his legs that I had to carefully wipe down. Once all the escaping poo was under control I was able to safely lay him down and actually change his diaper.
Once Eli had a clean diaper I let him run along, while I proceeded to clean up the backpack. Because of the texture on the straps I had to use some stronger reinforcement and whip out my trusty “Super cleaner” (I bought it from a door to door salesman-it’s really not as great as they say, but oh well, I still like it). Finally I was able to get back to my muffins. After a few more interruptions of my muffin making I moved on to making the main dish.
Once again, I was interrupted by poo. This time, it was actually Ati, who is completely potty trained! She was outside riding her bike, and had accidentally pooed in her underwear. I was able to calm her down, and pretty easily get the situation cleaned up. I was even able to finish making dinner without any more poo!
However, during dinner, Eli was doing some more grunting. I ignored it, hoping I could make it through the meal and change him afterward. Just as we had finished eating and I was working on clearing the table I noticed he was sitting in a brown puddle! It was soupy all over the highchair, dripping down his leg and making a splatter on the floor. Well, I just had to laugh, and got it all cleaned up. Then, I threw them in the bath.
That was all on Friday. I don’t think there was too much poo (to clean up) on Saturday, but there was more on Sunday. In the afternoon we were getting ready to go out and I grabbed Malachi out of his bouncy seat to put him in his car seat. He smelled stinky so I was going to change him, when suddenly I stuck my hand in something wet. I immediately knew what had happened. He was sitting in his seat so happily, that it wasn’t surprising what he had done. He exploded! All over his outfit and on the bouncy set. So, once again I was able to show off my expertise, and contained the mess in a fairly quick way.
Later that evening, when it was time to put the kids in bed, John was getting ready to change Eli’s diaper. I heard him yell when he unsuspectingly stuck his hand in poo that had leaked all over the inside of Eli’s pants. I could tell John was in distress, so I came to the rescue, with my super human poo-cleaning powers. I once again saved us all from drowning in poo.
This is only a small sampling of what I deal with regularly, but this is "what I do", it's my specialty!
I am the PooP-Master!