Last Week Recap

Last week I didn't make much time to blog, but we did lots of fun stuff that I would like to remember.  Namely, Avery's first time playing in the snow!!  So, I am going to just do a quick recap and along with pictures.

I did manage to blog Sunday and Monday, so I will skip those days :-)

Tuesday

 I Planned on taking Avery to library storytime, but the little stinker was too sleepy.  So, we came home so she could get a nap.  After she woke up we played.  We played on the slide, had a tea party, read books, rode the horsey, and played some music and danced.  After lunch we colored.  I think her favorite color is pink.  She is so much fun!  I really enjoy our one on one time!

 

That afternoon we picked up Ethan and Gracyn and they got to try out a gymnastics class at The Little Gym.  They both had a blast and did a great job.  I would really like to start them in a class, but we might have to wait until the summer. 

Wednesday

We finally got some snow!!  Last winter it didn't really snow and Avery was too little the one time we got a little dusting.  So, this was her first time to experience the snow!  She had a blast!  Last time Ethan and Gracyn got to play in much snow, they were just over a year old, so it was pretty new to them too. 

The kids wanted to immediately go out and play in the snow, but I made them eat breakfast first.  I could hardly wait for them to finish!!  It was pretty funny, because they associate snow with Christmas and were a little confused at breakfast.  They sang Christmas songs (White Christmas Haha! and a few others) and stated that they thought Christmas was over. 

After breakfast we went out.  We built a mini snowman with chocolate chip eyes, a carrot nose, and stick arms.  Ethan made snow angels.  We threw snowballs and sledded.  The kids braved the snow packed slide.  Then, we went inside and enjoyed hot chocolate.  It was a very fun snowy, morning!

Thursday

I worked on Thursday and it was a pretty uneventful day.  Mostly, just caught up on paperwork.

Friday

Friday was cold and cloudy, but I needed to get out of the house.  I met up with some friends at the Aquarium.  Our season passes really have paid off!  The kids always have a good time and it is a perfect spot to go when the weather is not that great.  After, the Aquarium, we picked up lunch and went to my friend, Sarah's office.  She own's a pediatric therapy office, Speech and Beyond in Jenks.  So, she has lots of fun toys!  The kids had a really great time and wore themselves out.  Poor Avery was so tired she climbed into Gavin's carrier and tried to take a nap.  Haha!  Everyone got good naps that afternoon and when they woke up, we made cookies.

Saturday/Sunday

We spent the weekend in Bartlesville, at Andy's parent's house. We got there late Saturday afternoon.  The kids played, we ate dinner, got the kids to bed, and then Andy and I went out for a little date. 

Sunday we had a nice family lunch with almost all Andy's immediate family and their families.  It was a nice time.

Girls in their OSU gear Saturday morning before we left.

Monday Off

I typically work Mondays, but the babysitter was not feeling well.  So, Andy was able to watch the kids for me while I went to a morning meeting for about an hour and then I took the rest of the day off.  Luckily, Andy is feeling better, although still not 100%.

After Avery woke up from nap, we headed to the grocery store.  I was trying to quickly get all the groceries with all the kids and completely forgot to hit the vegetable isle.  Oops!  Luckily I picked up some squash, mushrooms and some frozen green beans.  That along with a few other items we already had should hold us over until next week. As usual, the kids were really good and helpful.  Although, I did have to open some vanilla wafers to encourage them.

The afternoon was pretty lazy.  Ethan napped for the first time in about 2 weeks! Yay!  He slept from 1 until I woke him up at 4!  It was pretty funny because before nap he was asking me all about what is "sleep".  How do you define sleep to a 3 year old?  I did my best and apparently it worked.  Haha!

Avery's replacement bink

Here We Go Again!

Last night Andy started feeling a little sick. He was getting a cough and his chest felt tight. This morning he was achy and had a headache too.

He came downstairs and made coffee and was going to help me get the kids ready for church. I sent him back to bed with a Gatorade. Then, I got the kids ready and we went to church.

After church, I fed the kids lunch and put them down for naps. When they woke up we went outside to enjoy the beautiful, 70• weather! We went on a short walk and then played on the driveway with roller skates, bikes, and sidewalk chalk. Ethan also played in the dirt and made "dirt angels".

 

 

Gracyn drew this with chalk.  I was playing with Avery and Gracyn said "Mommy come look at the person I drew".  She pointed out the arms, legs, and head.  I was really surprised!  This was the first drawing (other than shapes) that has actually looked like what she said it was supposed to be.  Maybe she will have a little of her Dad's artistic abilities. 

This evening Andy was not feeling any better so he went to Urgent Care to get tested for the flu. Despite the doctors original suggestion that he had the flu, the test came back negative. So, it appears at this time either it is just another virus. 

Praying he feels better very quickly and that no one else gets sick!! Last week was bad enough! Really hoping we don't have a repeat.

Total Culture Shock!!

So, Saturday night we decided to take the kids to Chuck E Cheese.  Now, I need to start by explaining that we knew it would be bad, but our childhood memories of the place were MUCH different than the current reality.  When we were kids it was not this terrible!  There was a room that had lots of tables and a stage were the electronic characters put on a show.  In that room we were waited on, the lights were slightly dimmed for the show, and it was relatively quiet at least for a room full of kids.  There was a game room that had a ball pit, some electronic toys, some stuff to climb around in, and maybe a few video games. 

Today it is one large room with a tons of games and very loud! It was also dirty.  People watching at Chuck E. Cheese could easily rival Wal-Mart.  At times I felt like we were at a carnival. 

We left Chuck E. Cheese feeling like we needed showers, vitamins, maybe even an immunization.  Lol!  It was that bad!  Rest assured we will not be going back any time soon.  Our feelings for Incredible Pizza have been put in perspective.  It is not that bad.

Andy's look here says it all!

Fun Friday in Stillwater

Friday morning I had an estate planning meeting in Stillwater.  It just so happened to be the same day my good friend from Colorado and her family were going to be in town!  Thank goodness Gracyn was feeling better!

Andy took the day off and we all loaded up and headed to Stillwater at 8:15 a.m.  They dropped me at my meeting and headed to open gym play at Youth Fitness Zone.  I met them there after my meeting.  This place was so cool!  It was a big gym with trampolines, mats, gymnastic equipment, a huge rope swing into a foam pit, and more.  The kids had a fantastic time and we will definitely go back.  Unfortunately we weren't able to get many pictures due to phone battery issues, but I was able to get a few at the end when I met up with them.  I was glad I got to watch them play for a few minutes.  I was super impressed by how well Ethan did on the rope swing.  That boy is strong and fearless!

Then, we got to meet my friend Allison, her husband Matt, their 3 daughters Maya (9), Mia (3), and Macey (11 months), and Allison's dad at Eskimo Joe's.  I have known Allison since I was 5 years old and although living in different states for the last 17 years or so we have stayed in touch fairly well, especially the last few years.  I really consider her to be one of my best friends and like a sister.  So, I was really excited to see her and let our kids play together again!

After lunch we went to Allison's parents house and spent the afternoon.  We all had a nice time.  It was fun seeing the kids play.  My only complaint is that the visit was too short!

(I will post a few pictures when I get them from Allison)

That evening we had dinner with my dad and his wife in Perkins.  My brother, Dustin and his fiancé and son also came down from Joplin to go to the bedlam basketball game.  We decided to spend the night so we could visit with them. 

It was a long and busy day! Felt good though after being stuck at home all week!

Down a Week

Last Sunday afternoon Gracyn woke up from nap with a fever and complained about her forehead hurting.  That night her fever spiked to 102.7.  I took her to the doctor the next morning.  She was tested for strep but it was negative.

She continued to run a high fever and complain of forehead pain.  She also had a very red throat and would not eat much.  By Tuesday afternoon she was running in the 103s consistently.  I was afraid she might have the flu so back to the doctor we went.  She tested negative for the flu, strep, and mono.

Snuggling with Mama

Sad to miss school so we brought work home.

Popsicles were the only thing she would eat



Wednesday afternoon she spiked to 103.7!!  I have never seen the thermometer read that high!  However, I resisted the urge to call the doctor.  We were told Tuesday it was likely just a virus and we just needed to wait it out, give fever reducing medication, and give plenty of fluids.

Thursday morning (Valentine's Day) my little sweetheart woke up without a fever.  Hooray!  My excitement soon vanished when I realized her fever had crept back up to 102.5 and she moping in her chair with the saddest look on her poor little face!

Thursday at 1pm we gave her another dose of ibuprofen before nap.  She woke up feeling better and remained fever free the rest of the day.  Although, since ibuprofen can last up to 8 hours I wasn't convinced yet.

Friday morning I took her temperature when she woke up - 98.7!  Yay!  She was finally better.

It was a LONG week.  We had to miss out on several activities we had planned and just stayed around the house.  It is hard for me to stay around the house for several days with all the kids.  We all get bored and stir crazy!!  But, the cuddle time with my sweet Gracyn was nice.

Lazy Sunday & A Trip to the Doctor

Yesterday was an extremely lazy Sunday.  We had all intentions of going to church and just did not make it.  By the time we got up and around and finished breakfast it was already 10:10 a.m. Which meant we had only 5 minutes to get everyone dressed ourselves included and get out the door.  That was not happening!

So we lounged around in our pajamas most the day.  I was extremely tired from my busy week.  It was pretty nice.  We got a cardboard house out of the attic that the kids had not played with in a very long time. They had a blast playing in it and decorating it. 

Ethan did not nap, but Gracyn napped for 3 hours before we finally woke her up.  When we woke her she had a fever and complained that her "forehead hurt".  The fever was low and she had no other symptoms.

 At 2:30 a.m. she woke up and was burning up.  Temp was 102.7 :-(  We gave her medicine and took her in our bed.  She asked for her bunny ice pack and we put it on her head.  We also gave her some ice water.  After about an hour her fever dropped enough that she was able to get back to sleep.

So, this morning I took her to the doctor.  Still her only symptoms were a fever and her "forehead hurt".  But at breakfast I discovered that her throat was red and she didn't want to eat much.  Strep culture was negative and it turns out she has an ear infection.  We got some antibiotics so hopefully she will feel better really quickly.  I'm hoping that since it was an ear infection everyone else stays well!!

4 Under 4

Don't worry this is not a pregnancy announcement.  Lol!  I babysat my 2 month old niece Ramona today.  Andy had a work event and a meeting this morning/early afternoon.  So, I had a 2 month old, a 15 month old, and 2 barely 3 year olds by myself.  It actually went really smoothly. I was even able to keep the house picked up and make brownies :-)

Ethan and Gracyn had fun showing Ramona all the baby toys and playing with her on the floor.  When Avery woke up from her morning nap, Ramona was ready to nap.  Avery was really excited that Ramona was here!  She said "baby" and patted her very softly and gave her kisses.  Ramona slept through the whole experience.  She was a happy girl and gave us lots of smiles!

 

 

After the kids woke up from nap and Andy got home we took the kids to the aquarium.  Kelly had already picked up Ramona.  It was a rainy day and we needed to get out of the house.  As usual, it was a fun time! 

A Playdate for Avery

The other day I realized that we had never had a playdate with kids Avery's age and I felt a little guilty.  We do lots of activities with kids Ethan and Gracyn's age and Avery always has a good time, but she loves seeing other babies!  So, today we had a playdate with my friend Suzanne and her twin boys that are just a couple months younger than Avery.  She also has an almost three year old that played with Ethan and Gracyn.  Perfect!

Avery was napping when they got here, but woke up after about 20 minutes.  When I brought her down and she saw the other babies she got so excited!  She just keep smiling and looking at them.  Then, she would giggle and try to hug them.  The boys were not quite sure what to think about her.  They all ended up having a really good time and wore each other out which meant good naps :-)






This afternoon we just played at home.  It was nice just spending the day at home today.
Below are just a couple play pictures.

This evening Andy and I went to dinner with some friends.  It was nice to get out of the house without kids.  We had a really good time!  Thanks Katie and Michael for babysitting!

Wednesday Runaround

 
This morning we had no food.  I had put off the grocery store long enough!  So, I got the kids dressed, we picked up doughnuts for the ride, and went to the store.  Doughnuts (sweets in general) are a rare treat so the kids were very happy!

We are always quite the spectacle at the grocery store.  I like to shop at Aldi, but the carts are pretty small.  So, Avery rides up front and Ethan and Gracyn usually get buried in food in the basket.  Sometimes, like today, I let Ethan ride on the back of the cart.  It works and the kids don't mind. 

The grocery store with all three typically goes pretty well.  I keep them engaged by helping me select the food and find things.  If all else fails, we can always open some graham crackers or goldfish to keep them happy.  They love to help me unbury themselves and put the food on the conveyer belt.  Most days I am pretty proud of their behavior!

After the store, I ran home and quickly put the food away and headed to a friend's for a play date with 2 other sets of twins.  Everyone had a good time.  Anne graciously made us all lunch too. So, when we got home I got to put the kids straight done for nap :-)