April 24, 2011

April 24, 2011

Dear Family and Friends,

This has been a great week. I have loved being able to have B-man home for Spring Break. We started the week off slowly, and then finished it at a much quicker pace. Monday was our normal shopping day, and then FHE that night.

Tuesday and Wednesday were fairly slow and a blur. Tuesday after M got home from work we went to the storage unit and found some items that we have needed. We went to a park on Wednesday to enjoy the nice warm weather and sunshine. That night I played basketball with some friends. It was great to get some good exercise.

Thursday morning I boiled eggs and then we dyed them. It was a little crazy with J, and he did crack several of eggs in his excitement to switch colors, but we still had a good time. I love dyeing eggs. It was a hit with the kids too. We spent the rest of the morning packing and cleaning so that we could go on a little family trip. It was a really busy morning… After packing a lunch we drove to M’ office and picked him up. We then headed to Philadelphia, PA. The drive went well. It is about three hours away, and J slept a little during the trips. There were plenty of trucks to keep them distracted in the mean time. Once we got off the freeway and were very close to our hotel (less than a mile away) we got stuck in some nasty traffic that added almost an hour to our trip. That set us back a little in our schedule. We put our stuff in our room, and then headed back downstairs. I got an amazing deal on a hotel through Priceline, and we were staying right downtown in a very nice hotel. We realized that all of the historical sites would be closing by 5:00, so rather than getting an early dinner we decided to do some sites first and then dinner. We walked the six blocks to the visitor’s center. The entire way the boys were in awe. J could not get over all the things to see in the city. The trucks, taxis, cars, people, etc. I just wanted to make sure that we all stayed together and didn’t lose B-man or something. After a brief trip to the visitor’s center we then headed over to the Liberty Bell. I waited in the line while M, J, and B-man ran around on the grass playing tag. It was beautiful weather and they had fun getting some energy out. We then entered the building that houses the Liberty Bell. It was interesting to see how large it is in real life, and to be able to see the crack in detail. J only tried once to go touch the bell, so it was a good outing. After the Liberty Bell we walked back to our hotel, got our car and then went to get dinner. We were all starving by this point. We always do some research on where to eat in cities when we go out of town. We decided to first hit a place for a “Philly Cheese steak.” There are two places that are across the street from each other. We went to the one that we had heard was best first. We then decided that we might as well try them both, so we did. And if you are ever in Philadelphia, we thought “Geno’s” was a clear winner. One fun thing about this trip was seeing how old B-man is getting. He even weighed in with his own opinion on the food, and what he liked better. It made the trip all the more fun. After finishing our sandwiches we got in the car and headed back to our hotel through the Italian market area. We actually stopped at a fruit stand that was still open and got some fruit for J to eat. After getting back to our hotel the boys all changed into swim gear and we went to the pool in our hotel. It was on the seventh floor. I thought that was very strange. The pool was a little chilly for J, but B-man and M had a great time. We then headed to our room for hot showers and bed. We put J in a pack-n-play in the bathroom, B-man in his own bed, and RM was on a chair turned around and pushed up against the wall. The first ten minutes the two youngest were crying, but after picking up RM and letting him fall asleep in our bed things quieted down and all the boys fell asleep. I then was able to transfer RM back to the chair, and he slept pretty well there the rest of the night. M and I stayed up for a little bit, but went to bed fairly early.

Us in Independence Hall. J wasn’t thrilled to have his picture taken. If you look very closely you can see RM’s little legs in my other arm.

Saturday morning was cold and soggy after all the rain. That morning we had our egg hunt, and the boys opened some prizes from their Grandparents. It was a great morning. After the morning festivities I picked up a friend and went to two garage sales. That was all there was with the rain. Later that morning we packed a picnic (egg salad of course) and headed to an egg hunt that was organized by some friends of ours. It was a big hit with all the kids. Sadly the weather was very cold and wet. In fact after the hunt, and the picnic it started pouring rain and most of the kids got drenched to the bone. It was cold enough that we came home and turned on the heater and put all the kids in warm baths. (Ironically right after we did this the sun came out and it got to be over seventy!) The rest of the day we just worked in the house going through things, and then ran a few errands right before bed.

Sunday was a great day. M made a great breakfast of egg tacos, and then we got ready for church. Sacrament meeting had excellent talks on Easter. J even had a slightly easier time this week. After church I started making rolls to take to a dinner that we had been invited to attend. It was a family that M home teaches. I was when I went to roll out the dough and realized that I had managed to kill the yeast. (Still not sure how that happened.) It was not salvageable. Not what you want to have happen when you are going to someone’s house… We picked up a woman in our ward that was also invited and just as we were knocking on her door a tremendous thunderstorm came through. It was loud, and full of heavy rain. Thankfully it was fast moving though, and by the time we arrived at the house for dinner the worst had blown over. We had a delicious dinner with wonderful company. Their oldest daughter had even organized a little egg hunt for the kids. We then came home and got everybody ready for bed.

We love you all!

The C Crew

April 17, 2011

April 17, 2011

Dear Family and Friends,

M left early Monday morning for a conference in Seattle. I must admit that I had been slightly disappointed that the government had not shut down. If it had, it would have meant that M would have had to stay home. So now you know how selfish I am. But he did go, and he enjoyed the week for the most part. That morning I had a friend watch J while I took RM to a pediatric ophthalmologist. They had prepared me before hand that it could be a long wait. Thankfully the wait was half what they told me. We went in, and first saw the “assistant.” (I know there is a better term for it.) We were seeing the doctor because both I and the pediatrician had noticed that one eye was not tracking like it should. The pediatrician said it was probably just a lazy eye. Well after a thorough exam by the assistant and the doctor, neither one saw it! (When I said that I noticed it in pictures too, they asked if I had brought any…. Oops.) I guess that is good. They did say that he has a wide bridge on his nose that may have made it look off, and that he is more far sighted than a normal infant. So we are going back in six months to see if he is still off. After the appointment I went and picked up J. He had been enjoying the wonderful weather with his friend outside. That afternoon after B-man had finished his homework we went to a friend’s house. There were three women there and we were all flying solo for the night. We ate dinner, and then I did a FHE lesson on Easter and the resurrection.

Tuesday through Thursday is pretty much a blur. I honestly can’t remember anything. We were just in our routine of normal life. I am working on packing, collecting boxes, etc.

This is RM’s new trick with his lips.

Friday morning I took the boys over to a friend’s house for some play time. J loves their house and gets so excited whenever we pull up in their driveway. We had a great time and loved the perfect weather without bugs. Those days don’t happen as often as we would like. That night for dinner I got really brave and took the boys out for pizza instead of making it. We went to this place that is a pizza buffet. All things considered it went really well. We did have a spilled water cup, and J had marinara sauce all over his face and hands (good thing I remembered a bib) but it wasn’t too terrible for everyone. We even all left full. For our family party we watched “Dirty Jobs” and then the boys went to bed.

Saturday morning was pretty relaxed. The weather was rainy and stormy all day. In the afternoon we went and picked up M from the airport. We were all so happy to have him home. J wouldn’t let him out of his sight the rest of the weekend. We had a slow day the rest of the day. That night after the boys were in bed we ended up watching an edited version of “Slumdog Millionaire.” It was an interesting film, but it was really sad too.

Sunday was a good day. No meetings for M in the morning. Church went well for the most part. After church I worked on dinner for us and a family that had just had a baby. We took a little excursion to take them dinner, before coming back and eating our own food. After dinner we went for a nice long walk to help burn off some time and energy.

We love you all!

The C Crew

April 10, 2011

April 10, 2011

Dear Family and Friends,

Monday morning I made an appointment to take J in the doctor. We made it in and were able to see someone pretty quickly. The doctor was concerned because he was obviously still full of infection, plus he has a swollen spleen and lymph nodes. We left with a different antibiotic, and instructions to come back the next day to see if he had improved. We spent the rest of the day at home. That night we had the missionaries over for dinner. They then provided the lesson for FHE.

Tuesday morning we went back to the doctor. The good news was that J’s ears had improved. The bad news was that his spleen was still swollen so the doctor wanted to do some blood work to see if they could pick up what was going on. So we then headed over to the hospital for the lab there. I couldn’t find a close parking spot, and it was raining, so we trudged through the rain and finally made it. I was very tired from carrying both boys by this time. (They have a combined weight of 50 lbs. now.) Then after waiting around they finally tell me that my insurance isn’t accepted there. I seriously almost started crying when they told me that I was going to have to walk back to the car, and then go somewhere else and wait some more. Luckily there was a different lab close to the hospital and they let me walk through the hospital so that I didn’t need to go outside. Thankfully the other lab was fast, and I came out of the lab closer to my car. So it wasn’t so bad after all. Later that day I finally went to get some groceries. We were desperate for some provisions in the house.

The rest of the week was pretty quiet. The tests all came back normal, so no mono or anything else. Hopefully this antibiotic will take care of this infection and we will be done! He does seem much improved. We have been working on packing one box a day, in an effort to not get overloaded. Our house is full of boxes, mostly empty now, but the ration is always changing.

Friday morning a friend came over with her children and we let the kids play. Later for our family party we had pizza and then watched a show together.

This is J saying “See ya!”

Saturday morning I went to some garage sales. It was a good day, and I got a lot of great clothes for the boys. The rest of the day we worked on various projects related to moving. In the late afternoon we went to B-man’s school carnival. B-man played a bunch of games, and J was content to eat some popcorn. We did the cake walk (as a family of course) and won on our first attempt! Actually J won, but it looked a little sketch because he was wandering around a bit and there were a few open spots. It was totally legit though. We then came home, heated up pizza for dinner and then got everyone to bed.

Sunday was a good day. We had the usual routine and the usual craziness during Sacrament meeting. We are so happy that J loves nursery now, because he is a loud little boy. After church we had a very relaxing afternoon and evening. After an early dinner we went for a very long family walk. It was beautiful weather and everyone had a great time. After the boys were in bed M packed for a conference that he would be going to this week.

We love you all!

The C Crew

April 3, 2011

April 3, 2011

Dear Family and Friends,

It has been a great, but crazy week here as usual. Monday after the usual grocery run we had FHE and discussed and then worked on memorizing the fifth Article of Faith.

Tuesday we had a very early dinner so that M could go home teach several of his families. The visits went well. We also had the oven guy come and finally finish the repair on our range. It took him several trips, but once he figured out that he had the wrong part it was an easy fix. We were just sitting down to dinner when he arrived, so we just kept eating.

This is RM’s bed in our closet. I had to record it for “posterity.”

Wednesday I took the younger boys to the doctor. RM was just getting his check-up. He is doing great except for some eye issues we need to follow up with. J was supposed to just get shots, but I had him checked because he had been off an antibiotic for only a few days, and all of his symptoms had returned already. When I took him in, the doctor said he was still very sick. So we got a new antibiotic and were sent on our way. I will be so happy when he has finally kicked this lingering thing. Whatever it is. That night M had a Presidency meeting at our house, and I hid in the basement.

Thursday was a slower day. In the afternoon I went to the dentist. I’m glad to have that over. I need a little work done, more preventative than anything else. Later after dinner B-man went to another party at “Pump-It-UP” and had a great time.

Friday M had the day off. I love having him around all day! I went and worked out in the morning, and then the rest of the day we ran some errands and just stuck pretty close to home. That night for our family party we drove to Chevy Chase, MD to see the cherry blossoms. We were a few days early, and the trees were not in full bloom, but it was still beautiful. Right as we got out of the car a huge cloud came and blocked the sun making it much colder. Between the cold and a couple taking wedding photographs, we didn’t feel like we could linger as much as we would have liked. We took some pictures and then drove around the neighborhood for a few minutes before getting on our way. We then headed over to Arlington where we got some food at a few places we had wanted to try. We got some treats at a German bakery, and then headed over to the “Italian Store” and got a delicious sandwich to share for dinner. We then packed the kids back in the car and headed home. It was a good family party, and we decided that we want to do something like this more often.

Saturday morning I was up early to hit a garage sale and consignment sale with a friend. My friend found great stuff, but I had very little success. I then came home and got ready to watch Conference. We had a picnic lunch during the first session. It was so nice that J’s nap coincided with the morning session each day. We were actually able to watch and listen! We pretty much spent the day enjoying the wonderful talks and being together.

Sunday was more of the same. Lots of time to enjoy being together and listen to conference. It was wonderful. We were able to finish off the last of the treats from the bakery, and then had a simple dinner during the afternoon session. We realized after dinner that J was running a fever. Ugh! That means I will probably be back at the doctor to try and figure him out again. We did run to give some friends some seeds that we were not going to be using this year. It was an easy way to get out of the house and let the last hour before bed pass.

We love you all!

The C Crew