Fairy Tale Day

Ah, I love our Elementary School. I seriously do. They do lots of fun things throughout the year and it's stuff I never got to do in Elementary School.

Yesterday I got a notice on FB from the PTA that they're having a Fairy Tale dress-up day at school the next day. I was somewhat frustrated that we had all of a day's notice, but I tried to be calm and talked to Lex and Shaylyn to see what they wanted to do.

Here's what they came up with:

First we have Belle in her 'peasant' attire. We had no blue dress in this house, so we went with purple. People still knew who she was. I'm going to say it's because of her wonderful hairdo. 

Then we had Peter Pan join us. No idea why this boy wanted to be Peter Pan, but we threw something together and eh, people knew who he was. That's good enough for me.

What Happens Next...

Little Hands, Big Ouchies

Let me start with a picture:

Take a look at her right hand. She's got a cute little Angry Birds band aid on her right wrist. She needed it. Let me tell you the story.

A few weeks before I took this picture, Eric and I were in our room and the kids were all messing around in the front room. I was trying to stay in bed as long as I could on a Saturday morning and Eric was playing on his computer.

After awhile we have kids in our room, hysterically saying, "Ailey's bleeding." We've heard this before with little scrapes and boo-boos, so I didn't rush up or anything. But then Ailey came in crying repeating the words, "I bleeding" and Eric got up to look at it. He then rushed her into the bathroom.

His first words are, "Oh, I think we're going to have to take her in." But after a few minutes and after he got it all cleaned up and bandaged we decided it'd probably be okay and we went about our day. Well towards the middle of the afternoon I realize her bleeding hasn't stopped. It's slowed down, but it's not stopping.

I had Eric take her to the Instacare since he was going to go run errands anyway. I anxiously waited for news and got nothing. When they got home, Ailey had fallen asleep so Eric just placed her on the couch. First thing I see when I look at her is a pink wrap around her hand. I asked Eric if they had to stitch it up and he said, "No."

As Eric thought, the place that it happened to be cut at would've been a tricky place to sew. The doctor  said it'd probably be okay and cleaned it up real good and then bandaged it the way she did. It was an effort to keep it clean and keep Ailey from taking it off, I think.

We tried to keep the same routine for a couple weeks. It was healing slowly, so we kept the bandage on. Eventually it healed enough that a band-aid was just fine and Ailey was good to keep it on. She now has an odd looking scar, but it has healed and she's no worse for wear.

And it all came about from a small white board with plastic edges that started falling off. She cut herself right on the edge of one of the plastic edges. So sad. Yes, I threw that darn board away!

What Happens Next...

A Secret I've Been Keeping

This beginning of this story actually takes place in December. Like early December. One Saturday morning (December 8th to be exact) Eric and I decided to buy a 'new' (read used) car. I'm serious. We woke up that morning, Eric looked online and we saw the type of vehicle we've been wanting for awhile and it wasn't that much. So, we decided we'd go take a look.

After a whole day at the dealership and running to get emissions and safety checked at Jiffy Lube, we brought this home:

(Not our actual vehicle, Eric's gone and he's got it with him at the moment)

It is a Ford Expedition - Eddie Bauer model. Okay, so we really didn't care about the brand name, that's just what it happened to be. We loved that it was blue and it came with a HUGE monitor for playing videos for the kids. HECK YES!!! That was worth it in and of itself. It's been a huge lifesaver.

We waited an anxious weekend to hear back from the bank and we had some issues getting the emissions to pass, but after the weekend we heard that the loan was approved and a few weeks after that we finally got the emissions to pass. It was wonderful news and a huge weight was lifted off our shoulders.

Now maybe some of you think there's more to the story. There is.

The reason we rushed out that Saturday morning to buy a car was because of this:

(Top Stick - Friday Night Test, Bottom Stick - Sunday Morning Test)

I had been thinking I may be pregnant for a few weeks. Something just told me. So after I had gone to dinner with my sisters on Friday the 7th, I stopped at a store and bought a test. I went home and took it. Eric was asleep and so I didn't tell him.

It took me awhile to get around to telling Eric on Saturday morning. I wasn't sure how he'd feel about it. He could tell that something was on my mind, so I told him then. He reacted better than I expected. That's why we rushed to buy the car - it's an 8 seater AND it isn't a mini-van!

Eric didn't think the positive on the first test was positive enough and told me to test again. Because we were gone all of Saturday, I decided to wait until Sunday morning's first urine cause you know it's stronger...LOL!

Because of my miscarriage earlier in the year, I was very hesitant to tell people. I didn't even call the doctor for a few weeks. I finally decided I should call the doctor anyway and make an appointment. It was scheduled for January 16. I was on pins and needles up until that day. I knew that the appointment would give me some peace of mind one way or the other.

We go to my appointment and get all set up for a quick scan. My doctor does it every 1st visit, so I knew I'd be getting one. First words out of his mouth, "There's a nice strong heartbeat." I was so relieved. I hadn't said a word to my doctor about my anxiety and my mom had told me with her miscarriage that they couldn't find a heartbeat. So to hear those words was wonderful. We then got this cute little picture:

I love that because it's a couple weeks later than the 1st ones I've had with my other kids, you can see the head! It's so much more real than just a jelly bean shape.

My due date is August 16th, which is my maternal grandmother's birthday. I'd be okay waiting for the actual due date just this once. (I say that now, I may change my mind in a few months) I'm still super anxious and afraid that something is going to go wrong, but I think I think too much. 

What Happens Next...

Cookies For Teacher

*** Date: January 7, 2012 ***

In English Tanis has what's called "Reading Bingo." Each student is given a sheet of paper at the start of each month and they have to fill in their cards, just like you would a bingo card. On each square is some sort of something they have to read. He's had stuff like, 'read 3 pamphlets', 'read a graphic novel',   'read an instruction manual', etc.

There is one such square that has them read 10 recipes and then, then the have to MAKE the recipe. WHAT?!?! This is an English class, not a cooking class right?

Okay, honestly it didn't bother me that he had to make something. I thought it was a little odd for an English class, but I was all for him making me some goodies. Of course, I had to help him along because he's not so adept in the kitchen, yet. Although, he's miles ahead of his Dad. HAHAHA!!!

After reading his 10 recipes he decided on Peanut Butter cookies. Darn! I like them okay, but they're not my favorite.

I wish I had taken pictures while we were making the cookies, but I didn't. But here's our finished product:

I love it when I get goodies that I only had to half help with, or not at all. HINT HINT!!! ;)

What Happens Next...

A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit Him

*** This really happened on January 5, 2012***

The other day I decided to take a picture of what's not a rare occurrence around this place.

Ever since Halloween, Ailey's decided she loves dressing up in superhero costumes. I got so sick of it that I just HAD to finally put all the costumes away and out of sight. Well, there was one costume that was mixed in with the towels needing to be washed. I haven't gotten around to putting it away yet, so it's become a staple in Ailey's wardrobe.

That's right, she's wearing Ironman. But look closely, she's also playing with a fairy and a horsey. I decided this is the PERFECT picture to document just how much she is part Eric and part me. The superhero obsessions come from Eric and the obsession with fairies, horses, etc. is all me.

I love that our daughter isn't afraid to show these parts of her personality. Here's praying it stays that way.

What Happens Next...

Santa Came!!!

Look! Santa came!!!

Christmas Eve Story continued...I was probably able to get some sleep from about 4 to about 7, when the kids got up, again. Eric told them to let me be and let me sleep for about another hour and a half. He told me it was 8:30, so I should probably get up since we were headed to our families in the afternoon.

I got up and made breakfast for the family, which I of course, couldn't eat. We then headed over to the front room to start Christmas morning. It started with pictures of the kids in their Christmas jammies!

...He thinks his jammies gave his special Ninja powers...

...Yup, she belongs to me. Head straight for the Reese's. ALWAYS...

...Then again, maybe she's like her Daddy and it's all about the caffeine rush in the early morning hours. Nicely played, Eric...

Then we let the kids have their presents. They were totally spoiled this year and I think each of the kids got most of what was on their lists. CRAZY. Santa Eric was mean to little Ailey and wouldn't give her a gift until she gave him a hug. She played right along and this game carried into the afternoon at Eric's parents house.

...The notecard explained that Santa had put points on X-Box Live for a game Tanis wanted...

After gifts were open, of course it was time to play! We let the kids play for a couple hours and then it was time to get ready to head out. Because I felt like crap I sorta dozed off and neither of the girls had their hair done...Heck, I didn't really even do my hair. That tells you just how yucky I felt.

We got to Eric's parents house about when we planned and had a yummy ham lunch. I was able to eat a little bit, but not really having an appetite and being afraid it would come out again, it wasn't real tasty to me. After lunch it was time for presents. The kids got spoiled again and each of us got a Seven Peaks Pass of All Passes from Eric's parents and brother, Greg. Totally appreciated. I don't have any pictures of Christmas afternoon yet. Eric's mom took some, but I'm sure I look like death - so I'm okay never getting them. Hahaha.

Around 5:00, we decided to head to my parents house. I still wasn't feeling well, but tried to enjoy my family. We played some games and to our great surprise, my nephew Vincent came over with his mommy and spent the evening playing games with us.

Sadly, because I didn't want to pass on whatever I had to my sweet little nephews, I couldn't hold either one. It was hard, but I refrained. It also sucks because we don't see Vincent very often at all.

I was able to snack on a few things and nothing came back up, but my stomach still wasn't right and it took 2 more days to feel normal again. Not exactly sure what I got, but no one else in the family got it so I was thankful for that.

And that it how our Christmas played out this year. The kids had lots of fun and enjoyed all the gifts they got. Mommy tried to enjoy Christmas, but it was super hard. Daddy just did what he had to do and helped Mommy out a TON!

What Happens Next...

Santa Claus Is Coming To Town

Let's talk about Christmas Eve for a post, shall we? I know I'm almost a month behind, but what can I say. Life is crazy lately.

We started out the day like any other day. I did my major cleaning of the house all while baking a cake. The rest of the family did their various activities.

We started getting ready to go to my Grandma's around 4. But before we left I wanted to give the kids their Christmas Eve PJ's. I was excited this year because Eric really helped me out. I really wanted to get themed jammies, Eric pretty much said, "Forget that, get them something they'll like." For once in my life I listened to him. Turns out it was a good thing.

The last thing I wanted to do before we left was get a picture of the kids in their Christmas shirts. Well, Ailey was mad cause I wouldn't let her put on her 'Punzel' jammies and therefore she would cooperate for a picture, so I had to jump in the picture. Guess it's a good thing I wore red. Sadly Tanis looks a bit out of place, but I couldn't find a cool shirt for him in red. The lettering is red, that's good enough, right?

... I don't know what's up with those two yahoo's on the right...

After we took pictures we headed out to Grandma's. Well, the weather in our little valley was deceitful. We had clear skies, maybe a small flurry of two or snow, but it was mostly clear. We get out of our valley and I was blown away by how bad it was. It was a very anxious ride, Eric was nervous driving and I was just praying he wouldn't be mad at me all night and that we'd be safe. We made it to Grandma's safely, but it took like 1 1/2 hours compared to the hour it would've taken otherwise.
We had a nice time at Grandma's. We mostly visited with my own family members, but saw a few cousins that we chatted with as well. I spent a good part of the night sitting with Grandma and helping her with her gifts. Her eyes aren't great so she need a little bit of helping deciphering who gave her what. We had a nice visit and she kept telling me how much she appreciates everything I've done for her and all the cute stuff she has in her house. When people ask who made something, she likes to reply, "My Shilo."
While I was helping Grandma, my kids decided to terrorize their newest uncle, Mark. Thankfully Mark has kids of his own, so he knows how they act - but still my kids can be terrors. Wow. And hey, they aren't all to blame. Mark helped egg them on. I promise.

We decided to head home before it got too late and the drive home was a bit better, still a little anxiety there, but it was better.

We get home and I start feeling really sick to my stomach. I tried to tell myself I had just eaten too much or something and I'd be fine in the morning. Well it just got worse and worse. While we were waiting for Santa, I could tell something wasn't right, but I prayed I'd be fine after sleeping it off.

I never really got to sleep. I was up all night vomiting or having diarrhea. (Sorry, TMI) It was literally I'd do one thing just to go back to bed and be up a half hour later doing the other. I really didn't sleep. Then the kids came up at 3:30, thinking that was the perfect time to open gifts. I quickly sent them right back to bed and tried to go to bed myself...

What Happens Next...