March

March was ca-raaaa-zzyyy. I think it rivaled December. Spring break and Easter were busy enough to get their own posts, so here's all the other stuff....

Dr. Suess's birthday was a hit. If this preschool were any cuter. ;)

Unfortunately, I think Weston missed a whole week of preschool because of the flu. Let's back up. When Travis picked me up from the airport, when I got home from Dallas, Weston was in the backseat looking as sick as I'd ever seen him. I guess he had started a fever on Saturday but Travis didn't tell me so I wouldn't worry. My dad and Travis gave him a blessing that night and I had him sleep next to me so that I could be right next to him, checking on him. Neither of us really slept though. He'd moan and I'd give him a drink of water, rub his back and worry. He was restless and seemed to be in so much pain.  I kept checking his temperature as it slowly increased, despite medicine. At 4am it hit 105.8 and he had bloodshot eyes and was shaking. I quickly scooped him up and told Trav that I was taking him to the ER. I had no idea where to go, but ended up in an isolated ER on Gilbert and Germaine. I was so scared for him. I honestly felt like he was dying. It was the sickest I'd ever seen him. Luckily, the ER was completely empty and we got all the attention. They gave him more medicine and a steroid. The doctor was quick to call it flu because they had seen so much of it, but I asked him to do a test to be sure. And it was. H1N1. They did a chest x-ray to rule out pneumonia. It showed bronchiolitis. The doctor also said his ears looked a little red and prescribed an antibiotic for that. After a couple of hours, the medicine seemed to be helping and he looked a little better. The doctor prescribed Tamiflu but it was $262 with our insurance and by Monday afternoon, he was doing remarkably better. The fever came back on Tuesday for a little bit and he started a bad cough on Thursday, but for the most part seemed over it. It's a good thing too, because Thursday night I didn't sleep at all. My body ached and my head was pounding. When Travis was getting ready to leave on Friday morning, I knew there was no way I could take care of the kids. So Travis dropped Olive off at my mom's and Weston probably watched 8 hours of TV while I died a slow death. There is absolutely nothing I could compare those next 3 days to. It was absolute hell. I was in so much pain...EVERYWHERE. There wasn't a part of my body that didn't kill. I had a fever and would be sweating, then the next minute I had chills and was freezing. I couldn't even watch TV. I couldn't sleep. I had no appetite. Medicine didn't help. I watched the minutes tick by on the clock as Friday became the longest day of my life. Travis gave me a blessing that night. I didn't sleep again. I felt so bad as Travis had to take care of the kids all by himself for the second weekend in a row. I was completely useless. Then the second day I started coughing. OH THE COUGHING!!!! You know when you cough so much that your stomach hurts? Times that by a million. There are no words to describe the pain that racked my chest and stomach when I coughed. It was unreal. I know I sound so dramatic but really, I didn't know how it wasn't killing me. And it was incessant. I started to think I had whooping cough. I wanted to cry but I think I was too dehydrated. Or just didn't have the strength to cry.  By Saturday afternoon I knew I needed to eat something, so in a strange moment of positive thinking, I dragged myself to the car. (Travis had been gone all day with the kids.) I made it two miles away to the Kneaders to get some soup and the whole time I was driving, I kept thinking.. this isn't safe. Why am I doing this? I feel like I could pass out at any second. It was like I was driving on drugs but I had no drugs in me. Besides almost throwing up on myself in the drive through, I made it back OK. That chicken noodle soup was manna from heaven. Shelley was throwing a cousins, favorite's party that night and I had to miss it. I was SO bummed. I dreaded the nights. Not being able to sleep, then finally falling asleep only to wake up to excruciating coughing. My anxiety about anyone else catching it didn't help. I was soooo stressed about it. Every time Travis brought me something, I'd harass him to wash his hands. I wouldn't let the kids come in my room. It worried me so much. I honestly didn't know how Olive's little body could handle it. I truly believed that Weston's blessing saved his life. I cried thinking about anyone else going through the pain I was feeling. Sunday morning I was desperate. I couldn't go on like this. I was googling every medicine possible. (If you're wondering why I didn't go to the doctor it's because we have a really high deductible on our health insurance and I was already dreading the possibly thousands of dollars in bills from taking Weston in.) I sent Travis to Fry's and Walgreens to get different cough drops and ginger for tea and zinc tablets. It might have helped a bit with the coughing but that day started the running to the bathroom problem. I tell ya, it was a heck of a week. I stayed in bed all day Sunday. By Monday, Travis had to go back to work. Somehow I drove the carpool to school. Then I laid on the couch, half aware of what was going on. Travis came home on his lunch break and took Olive with him to his mom's house. Each day got slightly better until I felt mostly OK on Thursday. A solid week of misery. My gosh, I wouldn't wish it on my WORST enemy. Travis is my hero. There is no way on earth I would have made it through that without him. He slept on the couch for almost a week (remember my paranoia that he'd catch it), made me tea, got me meds, took care of the kids, did laundry, cleaned, was constantly checking on me and getting me water or food. That man. I am beyond grateful. I'd also like to thank Fuller House and Gilmore Girls for offering some sort of distraction when I needed it most. I will forevermore be referring to that week as the time that the flu tried to kill me. I hate you, H1N1.

On to happier things!!

I'm addicted to the acai bowls at Nekter. Then, I found out you can buy acai packets at Costco! Toss those in a food processor with apple juice, some frozen strawberries, blueberries and a scoop of almond butter and waa-laa! I top it with homemade granola (thank you, visiting teachers) and fresh fruit and it's yum-my!

Grandma Dog gives socks for every holiday under the sun. The boys appreciate them. Happy St. Patrick's Day. This was the extent of our celebrating. ;)

Collin had a field trip to the Phoenix Science Center. Shelley watched my kids so I could meet him there. Oi! It was FAR! Overall, I spent more time driving that day than I did with him there. Oh well. He is always asking for more "alone" time with me, so it was worth it. He seemed really happy that I was there and stuck to my side like glue. 

This picture is of a screen that showed whoever was in front of a hidden camera. Those little animated robots at the bottom would interact with you. 

We got to watch a show inside the planetarium. 

 The joy!! He had just thrown that ball in the whirlpool.

Our ward is awesome and had a bunco night for an Enrichment activity. It was Easter week so I almost didn't go, but I'm glad I did. It was a lot of fun and laughing and sugar. I took this selfie because it makes me laugh when I'm hanging out with my mom's friends. The lady on the left is Kathy Grey... a girl who grew up in 9th ward with my parents. Her mom was my mom's favorite YW's leader. 

We met some friends at Krazy Air one morning! Weston and Olive didn't stop jumping for 2 hours. And how about this cute shirt?! Old Navy has some good marketing in a Mormon community. ;)

We are hiding. 

Some days we just do that. 

She has fun giggling and pulling the covers over our head to escape the "monsters".

My monster was my really dumb back that wouldn't work that day.

Some friends from Gallup were in town for their spring break and had a wedding to go to, so we watched their kids. They have 6, so we went to the park and let the wild rumpus proceed! Travis was great to keep tabs on all of them while I sat on my blanket and ate the cookies they brought us while watching the baby. :) It's a rough life.

My dad goes to the 5:30am session at the Mesa temple every Saturday. And his birthday was coming up. So Marcie had the idea of all of us surprising him and showing up at the 5:30am session on his birthday. Then we found out the temple would be closed on his actual birthday, so we did it the Saturday before. Shelley couldn't make it because her husband works then. My mom opted out. David said he'd come, but then slept in. SO. Marcie and I went! Craig and Jefferson aren't endowed and Christopher lives in Utah, so I suppose 2 out of 7 kids isn't awful, haha. It would have been nice if more could have come, but oh well. It was fun to be in the temple with him. I think we surprised him pretty good. 

More showed up for breakfast. ;) 

You just can't beat Cracker's and Co. Heaven is made in that kitchen.

The Haws were in town for their spring break also, so we had them over for lunch one Saturday. We ate Cafe Rio and played Headbandz. It's so fun to see old friends and catch up! The boys both came down with strep throat the night before or we would have gone swimming afterward. (We could not catch a break in March!!)

Texts like this make my day!! Sweetest Scarlett all wrapped up in the bath towel I made her! 

My mom's birthday is March 30, so we arranged to take her to lunch! It fell on a Wednesday which was perfect... only had to bring Olive. ;) She chose Joyride Tacos and I must say... it was muy bueno!! I didn't realize it would be so fancy! I always thought Joyride was comparable to Backyard Taco. I stand corrected!

We ate outside so the girlies got to dance around and sing to their heart's content! The weather was perfect. Afterward we walked over to Liberty Market for some dessert. They had some bomb Salt River bars (that we called Saguaro Lake bars), buttermilk pie and a donette that we all shared and gobbled up. 

Yummy birthday, Mom!!!  

Whose hair is longerrrr?!!

It was career month at Weston's preschool so the teacher asked if any parents wouldn't mind coming in and sharing their profession with the kids. 

Lucky Trav.. I volunteered him. :)

He talked to the kids about brushing and going to the dentist and let them practice on a fake set of teeth. Then he gave them all masks and gloves to try on. It was really fun watching him. And Olive was the most adorable assistant ever. And everyone went home with a goody bag complete with a refrigerator magnet that has the office's number on it. Go tell your friends, kids!

Grandmother and Granddad

Last year, my aunt offered to order a memoir she had put together about my Grandmother and Granddad for any of us grandkids. I finally got a chance to read it this month. It was only 128 pages. Short and to the point but bursting with the best memories. It was incredible. There is definitely a reason we are supposed to be invested in our family history. I LOVED learning about their life growing up, their story getting together, my Granddad's conversion to the gospel and how they raised their family. Each child had included their memories of their parents and they were all priceless. I choked up multiple times, felt the Spirit, laughed out loud and marveled at their grit and faith. This is an excerpt from my Aunt Marcia's memories.

 I couldn't believe it! Grandmother was always on her case to stand up straight too! She was always saying that to me and pulling my shoulder's back. She would say that girls slump because they want to hide their chest.. (uhhh, I'm not sure if she was blind, but there was nothing to hide! Haha!) I can't believe she enrolled her in modeling classes. That cracked me up.

I felt like there was something noteworthy on every page. I read most of it on a plane so I didn't have a highlighter, but next time I read it, I will keep one handy!

Some interesting things about their life:

*Grandmother's mother, Julia, died in child birth from placenta previa when Grandmother was 9 years old. 

*Granddad's childhood history is short but you get the idea of how rough it was by the fact that when he got rheumatic fever that damaged his heart valves, he dropped out of school because it meant he couldn't play football anymore. He worked non-stop after that, shining shoes, working at a pool hall, and plumbing. In talking to his kids he said, "I think my life began when I married your mother." 

*Right after they got married, Granddad got a job on the Manhattan Project in Tennessee, working on the atomic bomb. (No one knew that's what they were doing though.) He was a welder/steamfitter.

*They lost their 5th child, a boy, named David when she was 7 months along in her pregnancy. It was because of placenta previa.

Her grandmother, Frances Ella, also died from placenta previa, but the baby, Joseph, lived. Grandmother's mother raised this baby along with her own first born. One winter night it was very cold and the house was drafty. Julia wrapped both babies snug and warm and went to bed. During the night she had a dream. Her deceased mother spoke to her saying, "Julia, the babies are too warm." She got up and found their little faces were bright red from heat.

*Grandmother was a "tree hugger." She was always growing plants and flowers and had fresh flowers in vases around her house. 

*Granddad only had an 8th grade education but he owned and ran a car wash, tow business and oil company. He liked numbers. Because of hard work and frugality, they were well off, but they were honest and gave anything they had to anyone that needed it. 

*Granddad served as a bishop and in a stake presidency. He was well respected and loved. But he was also known for setting his tow business beeper off to get himself out of a meeting if he felt it was going unnecessarily long. ;) 

*They were party people! Everyone wrote of constant memories of them hosting church parties in their backyard and of having friends over to play cards and dominoes. Maybe that's where I get it. :)

I could go on and on. I love my memories of Grandmother and Granddad together. In their old age, they were still affectionate and would give kisses in front of us. They were also fiesty and stubborn. A couple of their children wrote of rare occasions when Grandmother lobbed a loaf of bread or block of cheese at Granddad in a fit of frustration. Ha! They had a "50's" marriage which would never jive with me, but for some reason feels stable and loving when applied to them.

My VERY favorite thing about it though was that it started with the story of Granddad's conversion to the church instead of starting with their births and childhoods. Grandmother actually seemed to discourage it because she didn't want him to do it for her. She wanted him to have a testimony of it and do it because he knew it was true and then stick to it. He took the discussions without her knowing it and then stopped smoking and drinking. (They had 4 kids at the time.) Then he decided to be baptized and told some carpenters who were working on their house, but didn't tell her! When she found out it went like this: Grandmother-"You're not being baptized next Saturday." Granddad-"I certainly am." Grandmother-"Well, I don't want any jack Mormon." (She had seen other men sneak around their wives, smoking.) Granddad: "This is none of your business." HA! I laughed out loud. Their relationship is so funny to me. But here is the part that actually makes it my favorite. The next line was this: "You may wonder why start a person's history with him joining The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? Because becoming a member of the Church was life changing."

That was SO  powerful to me. It absolutely rang true in my heart. Of everything I read and loved, THAT is the statement that I will not forget. 

I am humbled to the dust in realizing how BLESSED I was with faithful, honest, hard working, scrappy, God fearing, family oriented grandparents. 

Spring Break and Collin's 7th Birthday

Spring Break gives me anxiety. Kids home all day is a recipe for disaster. And Collin's school tacks on an extra day off, the Friday before. I tried to be proactive and we started off with a morning at the library. It wasn't story time or anything, so we just checked out books, made ample use of the bathroom (my favorite) then ate lunch outside at the riparian reserve. That turned into a couple of hours outside, hiking, checking out the gazebo and exploring around the lake. They would take turns being the leader and I would be the pack camel when Olive's feet were too tired. We ran from bees and crazy field trip kids and chased ducks and rabbits. I tried my best to tell them that the dinosaur foot prints were not in fact real. They were not convinced. It was an adventurous, first day.

Saturday morning turned me into a giddy, school girl! It was finally time to make pies!! My Grandmother's pies were the BEST. I have tried for years to duplicate them (particularly the custard) but to no avail. Tutored by Grandmother, I've heard that my Aunt Judy's are just as famous. Well, this past year, Aunt Judy bought Grandmother's old house and moved back here from Virginia. She was super nice to let me come over and teach me her mad skills! Marcie came too and best of all... so did Grandmother!! It was SO fun to be in the kitchen with them, visiting while we baked. Grandmother even showed us how she made her signature crust. We were told that you could pick Grandmother's beautiful pies off a table full of dessert at a ward party.

We were also taught the beauty of crust cookies. My dad's favorite. You just sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on any extra pie dough and bake it. They really were super yummy.

Our masterpieces!

We slaved for over 3 hours and I loved every second. Being in Grandmother's home. Getting to know my aunt better. And learning how to make fat inducing indulgences. ;)  

The second I got home it was time to pick up Lane and Rusty for Collin's birthday outing. He chose   Fat Cats and Gecko Grill for dinner. We did 9 holes of mini golf (completed in about 9 seconds with these yahoos) and still had an hour before the movie. Oi! So we wasted $20 on arcades. What madness. We saw Zootopia. It was about a girl bunnie who wants to be a cop... pretty funny... but I guess the kids thought there was a few scary parts. Oops. 

Shelley and Lindi joined us for dinner. 

This goof ball was pretty stoked when the waiters poured outside to sing to him. Bet you couldn't tell. 

His actual birthday was the next day on Sunday. I got Bosa donuts the night before so we could still make breakfast tradition. Then came the presents. Here's the great thing about Collin. He is good fun to watch opening presents. His face lights up before he even knows what's inside. And even if it's something he didn't ask for, he's usually really happy about it anyway. But if it IS something he asked for. Wait for it. His head will explode in joy. And that's exactly what happened when he opened the stuffed penguin. It's his favorite animal (because it can slide on it's belly, of course.) and he had mentioned he'd like one to sleep with. Amazon had the softest, cutest stuffed penguin for like $10. Score. He was over the moon.

Oh the joy!!

 He also got a Nerf gun so he can have wars with Weston now and some chapter books, coloring book and nifty art set. 

Normally Sunday birthdays are lame sauce, but he got to be sung to in Primary and got a big candy bar from the bishop. Our ward is pretty sweet. While Olive and Daddy napped, we went on a beautiful bike ride. Collin got to be the leader on his new birthday bike that he picked out a couple days ago. 

He got to help me make his cake...from scratch, thank you very much! He wanted a lemon cake so we picked fresh lemons... from our neighbor's tree... don't stress, I asked. ;) And it turned out pretty yummy. It was our week to eat at Grandma Cats so all the Lindbloms sang him Happy Birthday. And since we forgot to bring the huge birthday plate and light up ice cube, he got to eat on that the next night. It was 3 days of partying for this lucky 7 year old. 

A few things about Collin:

*He is finally starting to be helpful!! He loves to help out with Olive... make her happy when she's sad, get her things or play with her. 

*He loves his cool dude haircut with the short sides and long top.

*His freckles are coming out in mad force now. I LOVE them.

*Still hasn't lost a tooth! 

*Loves to watch Phineas and Ferb and Jessie

*Still has ants in his pants and struggles to sit still in school or Primary, but he tries!

*Still has a billion questions about everything and anything. Travis and I laughed talking about how he was 2 weeks past his due date probably because he was asking God, "OK, so what's about to happen here? Who are my parents? What am I going to look like? How long is it going to take? What color will my hair be? Will there be fruit snacks? .... Mmmmm, I'm not sure about this!!" Hahaha. True story.

*He does not like to go to sleep and is our early riser.

*He takes his own showers now! Yay!

*His favorite color is green.

*His best friend is still Lilly, but it's Howie at school.

*He loves to draw pictures, hide/hoard his toys under his bed and only wear pants because he hates his hairy legs. (And when I finally figured out that was the reason he refused to wear shorts I worked on him until I convinced him to wear shorts for a couple of days. And in those couple of days, two people commented to him on how hairy his legs were!!! Hahah, ohhhh poor boy. I felt so bad.)

*Collin is energetic and talks constantly. He runs fast. He worries about things. He questions things. And he is tender-hearted. He is very aware of me and how I'm feeling and acting. If I'm having a hard day, am yelling or crying or stressed, it bothers him. On more than one occasion, he's sadly expressed something along the lines of, "I''m sorry you're having a hard day, Mom. I feel bad for you. I feel bad that you always have so much to do and do so much for us." It always tugs at my heart. He is growing up, but he still likes hugs, snuggles and being close to me. And I'm SO grateful for that. I love you, my sweet Collinator.

Well, Collin's lemon cake didn't get touched because it was finally PIE time!! And ironically, the next day was literally Pi day.... 3.14. :)

Monday began actual spring break and we did nothing. Nada. Stayed home all day until Collin's baseball practice at 4pm. I did laundry, mopped the floor and picked up the house. The boys played with their birthday presents from Grandma, alternately building nicely and having meltdown crying sessions over the Legos not working right. Ugh. I loooove the 7 year old Lego tantrums. It honestly made his equal parts insanely happy and screaming mad. That goes for me too.

Since Monday was sort of lame I decided to up my game and attempt a zoo trip on Tuesday. It was just us and I kind of liked it that way. We got there not long after it opened and it was.... a zoo!! Haha. I figured it would be, but the long lines to get in were pretty annoying. 

I ate aaaabout half a bag of kettle corn all on my own. "Lay off me, I'm starving!!" ;)

I packed us lunches and swim suits and we lasted about 4 hours. This picture of the boys just standing over the splash pad fountains, waiting to be sprayed in the face is so funny to me.

On Wednesday, Shelley invited us to meet her at Mesquite Aquatic Center. I love this place. They let you bring in outside food and drinks. It costs like a dollar to get in and there's a huge, zero entry pool area for the littles to enjoy, along with slides and a lazy river. We even splurged on Italian Ices. They complimented the pretzel and cheese from QT well. We love our cousins!

Collin had baseball practice again that evening and it lasted almost 2 hours. So it was Pizza Pie Cafe to the dinner rescue. (I don't think I cooked all week, come to think of it.) I can never go back to this carb coma establishment again.Woof. 

Thursday morning we tried out the open gym at USA Gymnastics. This place is nice because Collin could go too. The kids ran around non-stop and never got bored. Olive's favorite was the "arm pits" as she called it. The foam pits, hehe.

THEN, drumroll please...... it was time to drive out to the Arizona Grand resort!!!! Shelley booked us a room for a fun stay-cation to finish off the week! My mom went in on it too which softened the $$$ blow. They really like to take you for all you got over spring break!

This was my first time at the AZ Grand and grand it was. It should have it's own zip code for heaven's sakes. Our suite was verrry nice. (But since sleep wasn't easy to come by that night, I'll just have to call it a very expensive nap.) We couldn't check in until 4pm so we hit up the pool for an hour or two before our grumbly tummies took over. 

Aunt Chiladas is a restaurant on the hotel's property so you can just call a golf cart up to your room and they'll take you over. Lifestyles of the rich and famous over here, I tell ya. ;)

We played Headbandz with the kids, got the girlies down to bed and turned on a show when my mom and Craig showed up! And they brought ice cream! Welcome, friends. ;)

We started out the next day bright and early at the pool!! It was a sunny paradise! They have several really high "thrill' slides, a lazy river, wave pool and regular pool. 

I'm not sure if I ate these or just rubbed them all over my face. *smirk*  ;) Where's my pina colada?! 

Collin took off for about an hour while a DJ played kid songs and initiated games for the young'uns. Free babysitting! Heck ya! He was right at home doing the whip and nae nae. ;)

Marcie came too and Travis and my Dad showed up in the afternoon after work. 

Witness... the Great Diaper Escape!!!

These smiles. How they love each other!

Nap time!

We stayed until well past dark, soaking in the hot tub and marveling at the perfectness that is Arizona in the spring time. 

Our final spring break activity was Weston's first baseball game on Saturday!! Ohhh was he READY! 

This league is all about Saturdays so you have a 1/2 hr. practice then a game right after. So basically, they learn by doing. My favorite moment of the day was when the ball was hit to Weston and he was completely oblivious, just standing there. It rolled to a stop just feet in front of him and he did nothing. We started yelling, "Get the ball, Weston! Get the ball, Weston. WESTON!!! GET THE BALLLLL!!!!!!" I swear by the 6th or 7th shout, it finally hit him and he literally jumped in realization that he wasn't supposed to be doing something, then whipped to the left and right, looking behind him, til he realized it was right in front of him. OH what I wouldn't give to have that on tape!!! Luckily, he picked it up from there and it was actually amazing to see how quickly he caught on.

They award one player each game for great sportsmanship or improvement, etc. Weston was the first one to be recognized!! His pride was palpable. 

Ohhh baseball is serious business!!! :) Love this cutest t-ball player!!

That Sunday, Collin got spoiled at Grandma's house for his birthday! Lucky boy!!

Well, we MADE IT!!  I have to say, I think spring break was a wild success!!!