Fun Time with cousins

A couple of weekends ago, we made a quick weekend trip to Texas to meet baby Lilly and attend her baptism. We also got to see Rachel, whom we watched while her parents were in town on business.

Everyone had a great time on the playset!


Lilly is a sweet, sweet girl!!!


Grammy and Grampy came up, too. And Aunt Julie, Julian, and Emily came down. It was so nice to see everyone and spend some time with them! And play with new toys!


We brought Lilly a Beco baby carrier that we bought from Baby Cotton Bottoms. (Have I ever mentioned how happy I am to have a cloth-diapering store that I can drive down to and browse???) Brooke and Lance tried it out, too. It is pretty sturdy and I want one for myself! (But I can't justify spending that much money on a baby carrier when neither of my babies want to be carried much any more!)


Someone had bought Lilly and Brooke some adorable "Little Sister" and "Big Sister" shirts. Lilly was much more cooperative about letting me get a picture of her shirt than Brooke was.


Lance is as handsome as ever! And so much fun to play with!


MawMaw was visiting us from Louisiana. She did not know she came all the way to Colorado to drive 2/3 of the way back home (and then back to CO to catch her plane home!). We didn't even plan the trip until after she got here. She was a good sport to agree to the trip!


Grammy, as usual, brought bags of stuff for the kids, and we came home with a lot more than we went down with. Their favorite has been the set of Dora the Explorer books.

Happy Easter!

Hope everyone had a happy, joyous easter! Here are a few photos from this morning:

Man with a plan

Sammy chattering about his favorite NickJr.com games on my lap the other night:

(If you are familiar with Dora, imagine the Map talking)

"First I am going to play Dora. Second I want to play Wow Wow (Wubzy). The next game has Diego. So remember... Dora, Wow Wow, Diego!"

That's just wrong!

It was 75 degrees here yesterday. This morning we woke up to snow!

Prayers for Katie

Katie is scheduled to have dental work done under general anesthesia at the hospital tomorrow. Would everyone please pray with me for a safe procedure and recovery? Thanks!

Update 2/29/08 10:20 p.m.:
Thank you everyone for your prayers! Katie did really well with the anesthesia. When we went through this with Sammy, he had a very hard time waking up from it, and keeping his oxygen levels up. Katie's recovery was a breeze compared to his. When they brought me to the recovery area to be with her as she woke up, they took the oxygen away while I was taking her from the nurse, and her levels didn't fall, so they just kept it off. She was fidgety coming out of it until she got to nurse, and then she calmed right down and took a nap. But her vitals were great the whole time. And her dental restorations went very well. She got a filling in one of her molars and caps on her 4 top front teeth. Only the front 2 had cavities (right in the middle, at the gumline where the enamel is bad), but the two on the sides had the enamel problems too, and the dentist felt if he left them as they were, they'd decay and need work, too.

She slept most of the time at the hospital, and all the way home, but as soon as we got home, she had to go find her brother. She apparently missed him very much. She also started playing and running around like normal as soon as she got a little applesauce in her belly. I was expecting her to sleep all day like her brother had... Nope!

A Little Update

We've been hiding!

No, not really. Caught the flu last week. Knocked us out starting Friday. FOR A WEEK!

That same Friday, Rachel and family arrived from NM. What a time to visit. Rachel got FIRST PLACE in both her skating competitions in Pueblo and I was too sick to go see it! MawMaw and PawPaw arrived Tues and have been taking good care of us. We gave Rachel's Dad the flu. And our dad came down with it last night. I hope nobody else gets it!

Katie and her godpapa (Rachel's dad) and Rachel reading a pop-up story book.



Katie on day 2 (worst day) of the flu, would NOT be put down, and I had to make gumbo for David since I had promised and he was leaving the next day. (Then he caught our flu and didn't even get to enjoy it!) Katie actually took 2 decent-length naps in the mei-tai (carrier), probably better than if I had left her sleeping solo on her bed, so it was really good that I thought to put her in it. I was glad I'd forgotten to send it to Jena to use with Little Lilly (new neice, born 1-15). It is a custom from Annabear Babyware.


Katie spent most of the past week hiding from MawMaw and PawPaw. When she doesn't feel well, she apparently wants mama and her house all to herself. No sharing allowed. One time I realized that Sammy was watching a video, and Katie was not attached to me or calling for me. I couldn't figure out where she was. Or why she wasn't watching the video too. Then I figured out, she WAS watching it. In the privacy of her very own little house, where she didn't have to worry about anyone else seeing her. Little monkey!

(Yes, that is the "kitchen sink" she is sitting in!)

New PJs

Sammy and Katie got new PJs from my cousin and his wife for Christmas. My mom hand-delivered them, which is why we are just now getting them. Sammy's were only a 3. I was afraid he might have gotten too tall for them in the last growth spurt he had right before Mawmaw showed up. Luckily, they seem to fit. Or at least, he didn't complain about them pulling on his shoulders. Katie's 2 is a bit too long for her, but hopefully that means she can still wear them first part of next winter, too.

Katie loves new clothes. Especially if it has pink in it. I was suprised she consented to wear anything that didn't let her toes out, but her love of new obviously overshadowed her hatred of hidden toes. She also seemed to like that she and brother were (sort of) matching.


Sammy has gotten VERY tall! His sister is trying to catch up, but I doubt she ever will!

10, 20, 30, ... 100

Sammy surprised the heck out of us today by counting to 100 by tens. (Thank you Math Circus!) I think if someone bothered to put all of elementary school in fun cartoon videos, and we got ahold of them, he'd be ready for high school in another 3 or 4 years.

Katie also surprised me a week or two ago by counting to 14 in English, and to 5 in Spanish.

Happy Birthday Mason!

I can't believe my Roomie's baby is a year old!

40 Days for Life

This is an awesome, ecumenical ministy that is seeing lots of fruits from their prayer and fasting. Please consider joining them in some way, even if only as a prayer partner. www.40daysforlife.com

Here is the email their prayer partners received yesterday:

I have NEVER been more hopeful about seeing theend of abortion than I am today! The phones have been ringing off the hook and we have been pounded with e-mails as media outlets, Christian and pro-life leaders, and people acrossthe country are wanting to know more about the 40 Days for Life that kicks-off in 59 cities across 31 states TOMORROW, Wednesday, February 6. All morning and afternoon I've been fielding interviews with Focus on the Family, the USA Radio Network, and numerous local newspapers and radiostations. Over 275 people have already posted prayers andencouragement on the last 40 Days for Life blogupdate. And I can honestly say that I'm AMAZED at theintense level of excitement about this spring40 Days for Life campaign...

...All because people of faith and conscience arewilling to take a courageous stand to end abortionin our land through:

* 40 DAYS of prayer and fasting
* 40 DAYS of peaceful vigil outside abortion facilities and Planned Parenthood centers
* 40 DAYS of local pro-life outreach

There are many blessings in store for you duringthese coming 40 days, but I wanted to give you anadvance "heads-up" about one of them...

Each day, from February 6 - March 16, you willreceive a short daily devotional with a prayer intention, a scripture passage, and a reflection,to help focus and unite your prayers with those of believers across the country and around the world. These inspirational pro-life messages are for all Christians, and have been written by influential clergy and leaders, including:

* CARMEN PATE, Point of View Radio Talk Show * KEVIN BURKE, Rachel's Vineyard Ministries * FR. FRANK PAVONE, Priests for Life * REV. JOHN BROWN, United Church of Christ * REV. ROB SCHENCK, Faith and Action * GEORGETTE FORNEY, Anglicans for Life and Silent No More Awareness * DENNIS DIMAURO, Lutherans for Life * RANDOLPH SLY, National Pro-Life Religious Council * FR. TERRY GENSEMER, Charismatic Episcopal Church for Life * ERNEST OHLHOFF, National Right to Life * REV. J. KIRK VAN DER SWAAGH, Conservative Congregational Christian Conference * REV. BEN SHELDON, Presbyterians for Life * REV. CLENARD CHILDRESS, Life Education and Resource Network (LEARN) * REV. PAUL STALLSWORTH, United Methodist Church * VERA FAITH LORD, Alpha/Omega Life Ministry

I know you will be blessed by these devotionals,so look for them each day in your inbox!

Now, on this Super Tuesday -- and the day beforethe Christian season of Lent begins -- here are5 things YOU can do to help end abortion:
1.) Pray for God's will to be done throughout this 40 Days for Life effort from February 6 through March 16.
2.) Forward this message to everyone you know, asking them to sign up for e-mail updates and the 40 Days for Life devotionals.
3.) Commit to pray and fast (at whatever level you feel called) for an end to abortion during each of the 40 Days for Life.
4.) See if there is a 40 Days for Life campaign happening near you. If there is a nearby location, click on the link to visit their local web site and find out how you can get involved locally.
5.) During the 40 Days for Life, share your stories with me of how you see God at work through the 40 Days for Life effort, so I can share them with others and we can celebrate what God is doing. Send your stories to david@40daysforlife.com.

Let's work like it depends upon us, and pray likeit depends upon God -- because it does!

Your Brother in Christ,
David Bereit
National Campaign Director
40 Days for Life

Happy Birthday Granny!

My granny turns 74 today. Here is a photo of her when she visited us back in August:

Granny is my mother's mother. See any resemblance? (Most days I think Katie looks more like either of them than she does like me.)

Meme

Got this by email today, thought it would be more fun to post the answers here:

Two names you go by:
1. Roomie
2. Chicken

Two things you are wearing right now:
1. Nursing turtleneck
2. Black & white striped toe socks (from Roomie)

Two of your favorite things to do:
1 Play with my kids
2 Relax in a warm bath

Two things you want very badly at the moment:
1. Everyone in my house to be healthy
2. All our relatives to be healthy

Two favorite pets you have had/have
1. Pretty (a cat)
2. Grey (1st cat)

Two people who will fill this out: (consider yourself tagged!)
1. Kerry
2. Aunt Sharon

Two things you ate today:
1. Blueberry bagel
2. Turkey & pepperoni tortilla wrap

Two people you last talked to (I'm assuming this one means on the phone)
1. My brother
2. The scheduler at the eye doctor's office
(otherwise)
1. My husband
2. My daughter

Two things you're doing tomorrow:
1. Going to the eye doctor
2. Laundry

Two longest car rides:
1. Cheyenne, WY to Knoxville, TN
2. Cheyenne, WY to Port Vincent, LA

Two favorite holidays:
1. Easter
2. Independence Day

Two favorite beverages:
1. XXX Vitamin Water
2. Filtered Water with a shot of apple juice in it

Rave: File Folder Games

I was recently introduced to the concept of file folder games, and thought they were a really neat idea. And since I had about 200 empty file folders in the office, I decided to make some. I found some really nice pre-made ones online at http://www.myffgames.com/. All I had to do was print, cut, glue, and laminate. The kids love them!

I have to admit thought my MIL was a little crazy for buying me a Xyron 900 laminator after already buying me a hot laminator. But it is a great tool!!! I've been able to use that not just for lamination (and it makes a nice, softer lamination for the game pieces, not scratchy like the hard laminator), but for putting permanent adhesive on the back of the pieces that get stuck to the folder, and also on the back of a sandwich baggie to stick on the back of the folder and hold the game pieces. It also has a magnet-maker lamination cartridge that I used to make magnets of the kids' Christmas photo to send to all the family.

Here are some photos of Katie's (current) favorite file folder game:

Photos for Blog Log Day

Here are some photos I took yesterday to include in that log for Kristy, but was so tired last night I didn't care to download them.

A Day in My Life

For Kristy: Keeping a log is about my least favorite activity in the world. (Even worse than dishwashing duty at junior year cafeteria work service!!!) But since I am happy someone is interested in my day, I will try. For you. ;)

• 6:30 Woken up to Sammy wanting something to eat. Go to crawl out of bed; Katie cries to nurse. Go over to her other side to nurse her. Notice world's most awful smell while nursing. All I can do not to puke. Also, haven't been this thirsty since I was pg with Sammy. (Must remember to drink extra water when a kid is sick!!!)
• 6:40 Change world's nastiest diaper, trying not to vomit. (Thanks Dad for the help!) Thank myself for remembering to put a flushable liner in the diaper last time. Go to pee and notice nice big yellow diarrhea spot on my pants. Yuck!
• Pee. (Surprised and alarmed at LSU-gold colored pee. Double yuck! Must must must remember to drink extra water when a kid is sick!!!)
• Change pants. Go downstairs and rinse/pre-wash diapers on cold cycle. Scrub hands.
• Make dad cheese toast. Make myself power breakfast gruel and try to drink water. Feed kids banana slices. Katie opens fridge, sees and asks for "toin." (corn) Give her a little applesauce cup with a teaspoon of cold corn kernels. Against my better judgement, but figure if she is asking for something, she is actually going to eat it. She did.
• 7:31 Sing Super Why theme song upon request from Sammy. Change Sammy's diaper and run first wash of diapers. Think despairingly about all the other laundry waiting to be done. Nurse Katie while we all watch Super Why.
• 7:45 Load dishwasher and run on rinse cycle to loosen up all the dried food. (My dishwasher does not work very well.)
• 8:00 Called pediatrician, got after-hours message
• 8:02 Called ped, was 5th in queue, got to hold for 10 or 15 min. Triage nurse convinced me to give it another day or two to see if she gets better, will leave message for doc in case she thinks we ought to come in. Also was advised to keep her on the "BRAT" diet and of course make sure she stays hydrated. Was a little dismayed at the tone in which she asked "She's almost 2 and still nursing?" but remembered that not everyone in the office is as educated or experienced with extended nursing as our ped is. Reminded myself how HAPPY I am to still be nursing her, and that she nurses more when she is not feeling well, otherwise she might be in real danger of being dehydrated.
• While on hold go to bathroom and decide I might have milder version of whatever is plaguing Kate. Also notice spotting, remember date, suspect AF is coming in the next few days. Change underwear and grab (cloth) pantyliner.
• 8:30 Checked a few blogs. Got cabinet bid via email and sent it to the printer.
• 9:15 Run diapers on another hot wash to make sure they get clean. mean to start dishwasher with soap but get side-tracked by Katie wanting me to "oh-BEAN" the brown PlayDoh. Play PlayDoh with kids
• 9:49 go upstairs to start this log. Make it to the landing.
• 9:50 called down to "oh-BEAN" the blue PlayDoh. Play PlayDoh with kids
• 10:15 asked to put on Leap Frog Math Circus video
• 10:17 remember to put soap in and run dishwasher
• 10:30 wrestle guilt over perpetuating the video addiction just so I can get a few minutes to myself to do something that REALLY isn't necessary in the grand scheme of things (i.e. type out the minute details of my day). Even if it is educational. Even if Math major mama is so proud that her barely 3 year old is fascinated by addition and subtraction and her nearly 2 year old can count to 14 by herself.
• 10:34 Brush teeth. Put on bra and change shirt. Feel good that I am now fully dressed and it is before noon. Even if I didn't get a shower today. (Missed the shower. Sooo going to enjoy tomorrows!) Feel guilty that my video-glued kids are still in their PJs. Notice growing headache (dehydration?). Remind myself that I don't feel well either, mothering a sick nursing toddler is very taxing, and I should stop trying to accomplish anything normal today.
• 10:50 Remembered to pick up cabinet specs/prices from the printer, punch holes, and bring downstairs to put in basement-finishing binder
• 11:15 Nursed Katie, changed her diaper. Thanked God it was just wet, and her bottom wasn't nearly as red. Put clean diapers in dryer and poopy sheets/clothes in washer. Guzzled the rest of my 2nd 20 oz bottle of water. 2 down, 3 more to go.
• 11:35 Left a comment on Kristy's blog. Felt like the dirtiest person on earth.
• 11:40 Katie asked to take a bath. Figured it wasn't a bad idea, let her play in the tub, with some lavender (anti-germ) and geranium (skin-soothing) essential oils. Put away the 3 baskets of laundry constipation (clean clothes) while she played. Realized during the 1st basket that I hadn't prayed (formally) today so put our cool new rosary CD that Santa gave the family for Christmas in the player.
• 11:55 While putting diaper on Katie, was amazed that she said 4 or 5 random of the Hail Mary words along with the CD. Wondered where she learned that from. Then realized that I include 3 Hail Mary's as part of our bedtime prayers (when I remember to do them, which I used to be good about, but lately haven't been.) Decided I must REALLY not feel well to not remember that...
• Fed the kids banana, applesauce & crackers for lunch. Ate leftover jambalaya & white beans myself. (Did I mention my brother is an awesome cook?) Not a sausage fan, so Sammy ate some of my sausage. Katie found out Sammy had sausage and cried foul. So much for the BRAT diet.
• At Katie's request, we painted with water colors. Sammy & I said "Whoopsie!!!" a lot because Katie thought it was the funniest word in the universe. Tried to get that giggle on video, but the battery was dead. Charged the video camera battery.
• 1:53 Feeling headache even more. Put Dora video on my computer (the only one that will play nickjr.com stuff), vac'd the bedroom/master bath, and tried to rest
• 2:15 let the ADT guy in to move the wire that was routed wrong when they replaced our system last Mar. He found 4 others that were also in the wrong place (should be behind the basement framing but are in front of it in some way or another; we can't put up sheetrock with them like that). He wasn't scheduled here for long enough to fix it, so I had to call ADT back and schedule a tech to come out.
• 2:50 nursed Katie to sleep (finally she succumbed! had been fighting sleep all day!). folded diapers. rebooted laundry. Listened to a talk on CD while I did all this.
• Realized I was feeling/thinking quite negatively, decided it's because I didn't feel well and was stressed out about sick kid. Resolved to nip negative thoughts in the bud.
• 5:00 Greeted DH.
• Finished 5th 20-oz bottle of water but still fighting headache. :( Maybe it's eye strain... Or was it only the 4th bottle? I suck at keeping track of things. (Which is why I hate keeping frickalickin logs!) (Oh, wait, that wasn't a very positive thought, was it?)
• 5:40 Kicked my brother off my computer so I could have it back to check email and update this log. Trying to decide if I am going to go to the SAFE Environment Training for the Co-Op, since this is likely to be the only one at a time when Dad can watch kids, or if I just give up the headache fight and go to bed.
• 5:45 Feed kids hot dogs and pear slices for dinner.
• 6:30 go to SAFE training. Over kids's screaming, tell Dad to call me in 15 minutes and let me know if I should turn around or not. Happily, they were fine withing 5 minutes of me leaving. (Wasn't sure they would be, with Katie being sick and Sammy being napless and cranky.)
• 9:45 get home to find Sammy nearly asleep in tub, naked Katie and Dad reading on the bathroom floor. Apparently the bath water and the diaper rash were a bad combination tonight. Help kids to sleep, grab a bite to eat, hit computer, about to head to bed myself.

I'm sure there was more in there. A couple of snacks I didn't mention... Getting my new bras washed and hung to dry. Reading books with the kids... I actually accomplished quite a bit for me not feeling 100%.

Blessed William Ireland

My kids and husband have a Jesuit martyr in their ancestry line. Today is his feast day. Please join me in praying that I will be a good mom/wife, and especially a good witness, to his descendants.

Happy Anniversary

To MawMaw and PawPaw, and to Uncle Tommy and Aunt Mary Beth!

I love co-sleeping!

LOVE IT!!!

What brought this comment on? I was reading this post on Kristy's blog, and it just made me think how much I LOVE having my kids in my room. I have always loved it, and I love it even more now that we moved the double bed in their corner. They know that's their bed, and they prefer it. And Daddy has enough room in his own bed now. (Thank God for a wonderful, understanding Daddy who knows the importance of being close to your little ones all night while they still need you to be!)

So here are a few things that I love about sharing sleep with my babies/toddlers:

• They are so happy when they wake up and immediately see a loving face.
• I don't have to get up, or even necessarily wake up, to nurse them if they need it. (which happily is getting less and less often!)
• The other night, when Sammy started throwing up, I heard him right away and was immediately there to roll him over, comfort him, get him cleaned up, etc. (He had an allergic reaction to something. No idea what.)
• I feel like it is easier for me to protect them in the same room, than if they were down the hall.
• Babies thrive and grow better and are so much happier with lots of loving touch, and they get lots of it when you share sleep with them
• If they have a nightmare, I am RIGHT THERE to comfort them, rather than them having to scream and cry and be scared and alone until I hear them and wake up and come stumbling down the hall. (And stub my toe in the dark, and trip over 15 toys on the way to their bed...)
• And my favorite reason - they are warm and snuggly and cuddly!!! (It is very cold here in Colorado right now!!!)

It makes me happy... it makes them happy... We all sleep better in each other's vicinity... Some days (especially days like the one we had today) I just don't get why everyone doesn't do it!

Weird illness

I think I changes upwards of 10 poopy diapers today. (I think) only 2 or 3 were Sammy's. Whatever Katie has, seems to be a repeat of that strange day- or two-long bug they had a week and a half ago. Sammy's poopy diapers were by no means normal, either. But not nearly as bad as Katie's. Poor baby's bottom is not just red, it's maroon! I finally had to dig out the paper diaper liners so I could slather her in Boudreaux's. (Diaper rash cream will do bad things to your cloth diapers. Like make them repel and leak. I've had enough gross stuff leaking out of diapers today, I don't need to add to the problem!!!) I'm sure the breastmilk I tried to squirt all over her bottom helped, some. At least she acted like it felt better. But not so that I could see from the fiery redness.

This seems to be the same bug that pretty much incapacitated me last Tuesday night. There is lots (and lots) of mostly liquid stools, quite a bit stomach pain (or at least I was in extreme pain. Akin to labor pains. Last time I didn't know anything was wrong with the kids, though. They acted fine. Except when there was poop running down their legs. This time Katie has had a couple of screaming episodes, though.)

And then there's the weird rash that only appears in a few places, but makes you itch all over. Sammy gets it on his hand, behind his thumb. Katie gets it on her inner arms, just above her elbows. I got it on my scalp, and my neck. It looks like mosquito bites - just a little raised and a little red.

Has anyone ever heard of anything like this?

Tomorrow is the first day of TORCH co-op, in which we signed up Sammy for 2 of the 3 preschool classes. And I don't think we are going to be able to go. :( In fact, I think we might have to make a trip to see Dr. Dawson...

Rave: Library Elf

If you are a regular library user, you might find the Library Elf website very helpful. Especially if you are disorganized like me and can't keep track of what you have checked out/pending. They will email or text message you reminders. As often (or seldom) as you want. Or you can set up an RSS feed. It's pretty cool!

While I'm raving I should also mention Maureen Whitman's fabulous new book, For The Love of Literature: Teaching Core Subjects with Literature, where I learned about the Elf in the first place.