Campfire night...

During the kid's week at summer camp they had "campfire night" on Wednesday night from 4-8pm. They went for a night hike, cooked dinner on the fire, sang campfire songs, and ended the night by roasting marshmallows over the fire. They had a wonderful time, as they did the rest of the week too!


I took this picture before they even noticed Chris and I were there to pick them up. I loved walking in and seeing this site!

Maggie was soooo beyond tired! These monkeys head up to bed at 7pm so this was a bit past their bedtime. The teacher's husband said he thought Maggie was going to fall asleep standing by the campfire!

Each of the kids got to pick a goldfish for their very own! It was exciting but since we don't have the stuff at home to properly take care of these guys we decided they should live a the Greeley school. We did get to bring these fish home though! How cute are these??? By far the best fish have for pets!

Summer camp was a HIT!!! I am sure they will all go again next year for a week....

The bubble show...

Last week I took the kids, along with Sarah and Kyle to see a bubble show at the school. It was put on by our public library.

May I add that the library has done an amazing job this summer putting on different shows for the kids! They were concerned that because of the economy families would need some free things to do. Because of them and some local businesses we have seen some great shows. Remember the reptile one and the birds of prey show too?? We are so lucky to have such a great library in our town!

Anyway.... The show was FANTASTIC! This Man had great talent! Not just with his bubble art but also his entertaining skills. He had the whole place laughing many times, adults too.

I wasn't able to get great pictures, unfortunately. I really tried to get pictures of some of the really cool bubble art, such as an ice cream cone and a rocket ship. Oh well. The good thing was that the kids absolutely loved the show too! It really was amazing!

I now introduce...

Emily "Emmy" Grace

Born on

July 28th at 9:13am

7lbs 10oz

Singing in the rain...

I'm singing in the rain.

Just singing in the rain.

What a glorious feeling,

I'm happy again!!!

Guess what they were singing...

It's raining, it's pouring,

the old man is snoring.

He bumped his head,

and went to bed,

and didn't wake up in the morning!
Where did that song come from anyway???

Baby Emmy

My new niece entered the world yesterday morning at 9:13am. Emily Grace! She is perfect! And tiny! She weighed in at 7lbs 10oz. For two reasons I feel this is tiny, as I bet you are thinking, "That's not that tiny.". However; Heather, my sister-in-law had gestational diabetes and was told at about 30wks that Emmy was going to be a very big baby. The second reason is that I had Ben with me, and although he is only 5 months old, he looked HUGE compared to Emmy.


So, I loved loving on her! Her and her big boy cousin Ben decided to poop at the same time so we were changing diapers at the same time. I compared the tiny newborn diaper to Ben's size 3, oh my!


That is when things took a bad turn. Emmy was trying to spit up. She was struggling. I jumped up and gave Ben to my brother. I grabbed the bulb syringe and tried suctioning while Heather was patting her back. I pushed the nurse button. I grabbed Emmy off the bed. She wasn't breathing, she was turning blue. I looked at my brother and said to get someone. He went in the hall. I was moving her all over trying to get her to breathe. She was blue. Heather screamed, "She's not breathing!" The nurse ran in, grabbed Emmy and ran. It was so FAST and yet so slow. I hugged Heather and cried while she cried. I looked at my brother and said, "Go with the baby." He ran off. I helped Heather get out of bed and we went looking for the nursery as neither of us knew where it was. It was not obvious like it is in other hospitals so I had to ask someone where it was. Heather went right in while Ben and I waited outside for any word on what was going on. I quickly learned that she was breathing, Thank God! She was getting oxygen and they had a tube down her throat clearing out her airways. I had never been so scared, no the right word would be terrified, in my life.

It turned out that Emmy had some "newborn secretions" completely blocking her airway. She could not breathe. Once they cleared her airway and stomach (I can't believe how much they got out) she pinked right back up and was good as new. No pun intended.

The three of us were still in shock and shaking of what had just happened. The nurse brought Emmy back in the room to be with her mom and dad. None of us took our eyes off her! Two more nurses came in at separate times while I was still there so I asked some questions as I think, know, Charles and Heather were still in a bit of shock.

I felt like I couldn't breathe all night until I talked to my brother this morning and knew she was still alright.

It was awful and terrifying. I am so thankful that we were right there when it happened, the nurse reacted very quickly, and Emmy is perfect! Thank God...
I have to get permission to put a picture on here, then you can all see the adorable new miracle!

Today has not been a good day for me. I slept, or rather, didn't sleep, well last night at all. There were a few things on my mind and I couldn't get it to shut off. Ben must have felt some of it too as he didn't sleep well either. But, you know what, I didn't care that he was up many times, because he is healthy and with me.
When he was two weeks old he got RSV and was put into the hospital. It is a very bad thing for a baby this young to get RSV, but thank God, Ben's RSV was as good as it could be with a baby his age and size. He was in a regular room with a bassinet for him and a bed for me. The nurses came in often to suction him and check on all his stats. He needed oxygen because with out it his stats would drop as low as 82%, not too good.
I was scared. I knew about RSV and how bad it can be for a little one. I knew of stories that scared the, you know what, out of me. I can't even tell you how scared I was, and yet, Ben was never in any "real" danger. It could have been so much worse, soooo much worse. However, thanks to God and the doctor's, along with some Mother's instinct, it didn't get "bad". Three days later we walked out of the hospital with him, and so far have not seen any lasting damage from the RSV. It can do some long lasting damage to the lungs.

So, you must be wondering why I am thinking about this today... Because, Stellan is sick, very sick.

Who is Stellan, you ask? Late last year I began reading a blog about a family with four little ones of their own. Their baby was not expected to live but had been born completely healed, so they thought. I started reading it a couple of weeks after Stellan was born. It was a miracle! Well, at four months old it was discovered that his heart wasn't completely healed. He had been doing pretty well for the most part though, a happy and wonderful baby boy. Sadly, his SVT (the heart condition) came back with vengeance the other day. He is not doing well.

I don't even know this family, not in real life, although I feel like I do because I read the blog everyday. Yet, my heart is breaking for this family. My heart is breaking for Stellan. My heart is breaking for his Mom. I've been there, although I haven't really been there. Does that make sense? I can't think of anything else today. I am glued to the computer hoping for updates.

So, I ask of you, please pray for Stellan. If you don't pray please send some positive thoughts for him. Thank you....

One more thing.... Give your kids an extra hug. Don't take their health for granted.

As for me... I will continue to pray. I will continue to be thankful for my children's health. And, when Ben is waking up four times a night I will enjoy the quiet cuddle time with him...

Wow! Over 1000 hits on my blog!

I can't believe I have had over 1000 hits on my blog! Thank you so much for visiting!!!

Nutella...

I have a serious weakness lately! This is it...
A chocolate/hazelnut spread....

With Graham crackers, yummy...

It's even pretty when you first open it...
This is how I prepare it...

And, this, my friends, is how I eat it....

Well, I really will put it on anything that goes good with chocolate!!!

Summer camp starts... Daddy's sick :(

Summer camp finally began today!!! I signed the three older monkeys up a few months ago and they have been waiting (not so) patiently for it to begin. It is at the school that Connor went to last year and Maggie will start at in the fall. The theme is "It's Alive", and if you read my blog at all, you know this is right down my kids alley.

The second we arrived this morning Connor spotted the "frog habitat" and was hooked! Mrs. Greeley, the teacher, found a whole bunch of tadpoles in a puddle and rescued them. They have since turned into tiny frogs and are a huge hit. I know, your as shocked as I was... Even I must admit they are pretty cute!
They were all very tired tonight after the fun day at camp and honestly, quite cranky, so it was early bed time tonight. You know they are tired when they don't even argue...

I was happy to see that one of my "Angel Bushes" has flowered and it is beautiful! In a few days it will be even more beautiful because it is covered with blossoms just waiting to bloom.

On a not so fun note... Chris and I were under the weather today with a bit of a stomach bug. I didn't get it too bad but poor Chris got hit hard with it! I told the kids that when we got home we had to be quiet because Daddy would be resting. Katelyn, the worrier that she is, came in to check on him right away.

She quickly put a "tray" of comforts together for him. It was very sweet. She used the top of a plastic bin to carry: a bowl of pistachios, a drink of water, an ice pack wrapped in toilet paper, and a card into him on the couch. He was very thankful but wasn't up for eating or drinking so really he just enjoyed the card.

Here is a picture of the "tray"...

I scanned the card so you could see it. Katelyn is one of the kindest and most caring child I have ever met and I am so proud to be her mom!

A day at the Zoo...

Thursday Neala and I took our kids to the zoo. It was a great day! The weather cooperated other then a little bit of rain, which actually felt good. We arrived not long after the park opened and left not long before it closed!

A very nice woman took this picture of us all on our way out, the kids were tired and we were trying to get out of there without a total meltdown. This helped distract the tired kids.

Connor and Katelyn getting cozy with a white tiger!
Maggie lovin on a goat.

Ben and Katie are chatting about a plan to break out of the strollers! Although neither of them really spent much time in the stroller anyway because Neala had Katie in the backpack and I had Ben in the wrap for most of the trip.

I am one of those moms who really doesn't like guns at all! (I actually got a belly ache recently when my kids had water guns!) Anyway, Maggie was sure to show me that there was a gun on the ride.
Ben, looking adorable, and checking out the kids on the rides.

Neala and Drew decided to ride on an elephant!
And, Katelyn and Maggie rode on Humphrey the Camel.
Connor didn't ride on any animals but he did like being "King of the mountain".

Oh, wait. Connor did ride on the turtle. It moved very s l o w l y....

We spent some time watching the beautiful giraffes eat some leaves...
I would say this was one of the biggest hits of the day. The Deer Forest was wonderful! The kids just loved hanging out with all the deer.
Maggie and Drew, born just 5 days apart, were watching the deer together.
I can't remember what the kids were looking at here but I thought the sight of them looking through the fence together was adorable!
Thanks Neala for taking this great picture!

Our day at the zoo was just wonderful! The almost two hour ride home... Well that's another story...

Moms don't get a paycheck...

This is true, as most of you already know, Moms don't get a paycheck. We work hard too! I have many responsibilities under my "job title". Entertainer, cleaner, cook, chauffeur, bath giver, bum wiper, laundry cleaner, I am sure you get the point.... Let's move on...

No, I don't get a paycheck; however, my rewards are way better then monetary rewards. They truly are priceless so I thought I would share a few ways I get "paid" for my job...

*The words, "I love you mommy"

*Random hugs and kisses

*Hearing my children use wonderful manners

*Watching one of my children help out another child who fell down and got hurt

*Having strangers comment how well behaved my children are

*Cuddling on the couch to read a book

*Playing a game of tic-tac-toe, even when I get beat!

*Seeing the smile on their faces when they are holding a very slimy frog that they caught

*Listening to them play so nicely with each other

*Listening to them teach each other about everything from math to manners

*The big smile Ben gives me first thing in the morning and many other times during the day

Again, I could go on and on!

So, last night my family "paid" me for being their mom and wife by obliging my request to get a family picture done. It is, by far, not what they want to be doing on a Saturday evening and yet they know how important it is to me so they did it. The conversation I overheard between Chris and Connor sums it up...

Connor "AAAHHH, why do we have to get our pictures taken, again?" (A side comment from me- we have not had a family picture done since Maggie was three months old)

Chris "Because it means a lot to Mommy and we want to make her happy so we need to do it for her."

Everyone did great! Everyone cooperated perfectly!





We got some awesome pictures of the six of us!
They just came out so wonderful!



Look at these kids!

So, you see, I don't get a paycheck but the rewards I get are priceless! There really wouldn't be a paycheck big enough!

appointments and doggie sitting

Katelyn finally had her pediatric pulmonology appointment yesterday. Good news- she doesn't have any allergies to the things they tested her for. They were mainly environmental things like dust, pets, and grass. Katelyn did very well although she really disliked the allergy testing! She didn't mind the lung function test so that was good. Interestingly though, her lung function this time was not as good as just over a month ago when I thought she was doing so much worse. After a dose of albuteral it went up 8%.
So... The NP does believe that she has asthma, which was a little bit of a bummer to me. We had been thinking that she was doing so much better, and she was, but apparently she was also doing a lot worse before then we thought. According to how she is doing now she is still having "uncontrolled asthma" and needs to be treated. I had really come to feel that she just had a bad cold that took months to get rid of. The NP thinks that the pneumonia that she had in January really set the asthma symptoms in motion. Also, according to the NP, it is not normal for a kid to have pneumonia two years in a row as well as bronchitis a number of times. Most likely she has always had asthma which made simple colds go to these extremes. Also, even though she is doing well right now the NP believes that if she were to get a cold it would really take a toll on her again.
So.... We need to get her lungs perfect so that everyday things will be easy for her and that simple colds can stay simple colds. Starting this morning she began taking a low dose inhaled steroid and she will go back to the PPNP at the end of September. My list of questions is growing quickly for that appointment. Yesterday was quite overwhelming to me (and Katelyn, I'm sure) so I just couldn't seem to think of many things to ask about.


On to Ben, who is practicing "doggie sitting", as Katelyn calls it, in this picture...
He had another checkup on those adorable little ears of his. Good news... The Doctor said they look the same as the other day and possibly even a tiny bit better. They still have fluid but no infection! Phew!

Five months, reptiles, Connor's physical...

Five months ago this baby was born...
Look how big he has grown!

Look at this smile...

Boy five months goes by fast!

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Today was also the reptile show at the library. I took my kids and also two of my nephews and one of my nieces. The show was great! I was a little freaked out by the snakes but most of the kids thought they were great.

Connor held every animal he could get his hands on!

Katelyn sat with a few friends from school which was so much fun. She also loved holding the different animals.

I was a little surprised at how much Maggie wanted to hold the animals. The show was recommended for ages 5 and up but Maggie loved it and was one of the most well behaved children there.

Here is Dylan holding a snake. He loved them too!

Kyle loved the turtles and lizards but wanted NOTHING to do with the snakes!

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Connor also had his five year check-up today. It went well. He dropped a little in the percentiles but is pretty healthy anyway. He was 38.5lbs which is under the 50th %ile and I forget his height but it was at the 75th %ile. He even did ok with the three shots he had to get :( BTW, I really don't like shots! Because he did so well I even brought him to the toy store after to pick a small toy out. He picked a Bakugan. Shocking, not...