Category Archives: sick

five on friday (01/24)

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We’ve had a lot going on the past couple of weeks, and to be honest, I haven’t felt much like writing here. I thought doing a “Five on Friday” might help me get back into gear. I have two memory cards full of DSLR photos to go through, but for now, I’m just going to share some quick and easy pictures from my phone.

ONE. We battled the stomach flu! By the time it went through all the kids, it was a whole week of sickness. It’s just awful seeing your babies feel so horrible, not to mention the amount of extra laundry and clean-up required. We made it through, and here’s to hoping we don’t see another stomach bug for a long time to come.TWO. Kaya has always loved Eve, but lately, they’ve really been playing together a lot more. Eve will jump into her arms, give giant hugs, and apparently, even enjoy a ride on her back. The older girls sometimes say, “I miss when Eve was a little baby”, but they really have been having a blast with her now that she’s a little bigger. THREE. Michael has been amazing in his recent calling as counselor to the Bishop, but he’s still adjusting to a new schedule. Meetings at 6:30 am mean that he is completely wiped out by 1 pm. He’s not a napper, but he has taken a few here lately. FOUR. What’s better on a cold, wintery day than a warm, snuggly puppy? Scout has really been my pal these past few weeks. She also turned 3 years old on January 9th (we have yet to get her a birthday gift)! FIVE. This little sweetie always keeps us smiling. She gets so excited over everything, even eating cereal! She’s such a good reminder of how even the simplest things can bring so much joy. HAPPY FRIDAY!

five on friday! (09/06)

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Happy Friday, and happy September! I’m excited for fall, although, admittedly, I partly wish we could keep the summer sun and warmth forever. Still, we have a lot to look forward to here in the next few months, with birthdays, holidays, family visits, and my brother’s wedding!

ONE. As warm temperatures start to disappear, we’re preparing to say goodbye to our little container garden until next spring. I was surprised this week when Kaya and Kaelyn showed me this humongous cucumber that seemed to appear almost overnight!They were so excited to pick it! We shared it for lunch, and it certainly was fresh and tasty. I’m still so proud of these little ladies for growing these vegetables.

TWO. We’ve had a bit of a rough week and a half, with sickness lingering and spreading ever so slowly to each child in our family. Coughing, congestion, runny noses, body aches, and tiredness has gotten to all the girls now. Nella tucked Kaya in when she fell asleep on the couch, and even gave her her Kitty.Kaelyn’s bout only seemed to last a day, with a lingering cough.Nella has had it the roughest.When you don’t feel well, it’s perfectly acceptable to pass out in your chair at lunchtime.

THREE. Nella and Eve have had the best time being little buddies lately. They’ve been playing together, sharing snacks, and laughing at each other’s antics. As soon as their eyes were open on Monday morning, they couldn’t wait to sit by each other on Nella’s bed. I just love that they’re truly bonding now.

FOUR. Now that it’s September, we’ve already got Halloween costumes on our minds! The girls love dressing up all year long, though, so really, the only thing different on Halloween is that they get candy for looking cute.

Kaelyn became a “super unicorn”, and dressed her puppy (Pokie) up to match!Eve loves wearing anything on her head, and usually it’s these unicorn ears or a birthday crown.FIVE. Everyone loves to be like Daddy. When I saw Nella pretending to work on her laptop next to him, I just had to get a picture.

Happy weekend!

five on friday (09/01)

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The big camera didn’t come out much this week, so all I have are a bunch of photos from my phone. Sometimes those quick phone shots are some of my favorites, though, because those are the fleeting, yet memorable, moments that are so worth capturing, but they’re usually over by the time I can reach for my DSLR.

ONE. We’re back from the beach! We spent all of last week on a family vacation, which was honestly our best trip yet since we’ve had the girls. We played in the sand, celebrated Daddy’s birthday, and even saw the total eclipse. It was a great time, but it’s also nice to be home and back into our regular routine. I can’t wait to share some pictures of our trip, hopefully next week!

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TWO. Everyone sure missed our puppy while we were gone! We boarded her at the vet, and she was just fine, but we were so excited to pick her up on the way home. Every morning when Daddy goes to work, these three sit at the window and wave (or wag a tail) goodbye! This girl and her dog… all the heart eyes!

THREE. Nella didn’t act like herself for most of the week. Super tired and cranky, a fever, and decreased appetite made for some sad days, and then yesterday, she had a rash that instantly reminded me of when Kaelyn had roseola as a baby. At least now we know what was making her feel so under the weather. (Also, can we just talk about that crazy blonde bedhead and her gorgeous blue eyes? I’m swooning over here!)We really missed her sweet, smiley personality, and it was so good to see her feeling better and grinning again yesterday.FOUR. Cinnamon rolls. Need I say more? I owed these to some seminary students, and we enjoyed the extras. They’re so perfect on a chilly fall morning!FIVE. When I was a little girl, one of my favorite fall-time traditions was visiting Heaven Hill Farm, where we would choose a pumpkin and a Halloween costume for that year. There was always so much excitement upstairs in that warm little costume shop, walking from one end to the other, taking in all of our options before deciding on what we wanted to be.

All those good memories make it even more fun for me to take my girls costume shopping each year. Our local secondhand kids’ shop put Halloween costumes out last weekend, so we made our way over there today to pick out what we wanted, early and ahead of the seasonal rush. The girls were ecstatic, and I couldn’t wait to see what they’d choose. Kaelyn was obsessed with this tiger costume, and wouldn’t even try anything else on. (I told her to say, “ROAR!” for this picture!)Kaya was the cutest little ladybug you ever did see!

I won’t give away their final choices, but they just can’t wait for trick-or-treating time to come!

Happy Friday!

five on friday (04/21)

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Whew! This has been a long, tiring week, and I’m so excited to get the weekend started!

ONE. This nerdy guy (and I say that as a compliment, because he loves his work, and I love that he enjoys what he does) headed to Austin, Texas, this week for Docker’s big developer conference. He had such a great time, but we most definitely missed him. When we would talk on the phone with him and then hang up, Kaya would cry, “Talking to Daddy makes me miss him even more!” Me too, kid. I feel a little lost when my best friend isn’t here.

TWO. Thankfully, Michael’s mom came up to help out and spend some time with us this week while he was gone. I was so grateful for an extra pair of hands, and that she could watch the kids so I could still have some time to myself to go running. We all love Grandma!

We did a lot of fun things with her, including reading at the library, swinging at the park, doing puzzles, visiting the vet, and going to Kangaroo Kids! I think we tired ourselves out. She also helped me rake and pull all the weeds in our garden so I can get some vegetable plants started here soon!

THREE. The teachers at Kangaroo Kids usually pull a new and different activity out of the closet each week, and this week, it was these jumping balls! Riding around on these was one of my favorite things to do in gym class in elementary school, but I had completely forgotten about them. Kaya and Kaelyn loved them just as much as I always did!

I found out they make them in adult size… can you imagine me hopping around my house all day long?

FOUR. This sweet baby girl has had a rough week. She went to the doctor for her shots, which always make her feel crummy for about a week, but then she came down with her very first cold on top of that. She’s been so congested, which makes nursing and sleeping a little difficult.On Wednesday, we had the roughest night of sleep since the day we brought her home from the hospital. I was so grateful my mom-in-law was there to hold her for a couple of hours so that I could get some sleep after being awake most of the night.

FIVE. Favorite Dollar Tree purchase ever- whale bubble machines! These have been so much fun! Scout wasn’t quite sure what to think of the bubbles!

Happy Friday!

Linking up here, here, and here today!

five on friday (03/10)

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ONE. Michael is my knight in shining armor. Actually, I’m certain he was made for his role as such a tender-hearted, patient husband and father of daughters. I started the week off being sick (again, which is typically unusual for me), and he came home early from work just to take care of us. All four of us adore him, and I’m so grateful for this guy who gives us his all one hundred percent of the time.

TWO. The “March comes in like a lion” expression has certainly been true around here lately, with our area experiencing everything from extreme gusts of wind, to snow, to rainstorms, to 60-degree days. Kaya was beyond excited about the random snow we had, and although none of it stuck around, she loved catching the flakes and twirling outside in it.

THREE. Two of Kaya and Kaelyn’s favorite things: jammies and baby dolls! These little girls play “babies” together nearly all day everyday. Kaya’s baby, Alice, was apparently born and celebrated her 3rd birthday party all in the same week. Kaelyn’s baby, Doll, learned to walk today. These are very busy babies!FOUR. I’ve made some major strides (haha, running humor) in my pace in these past few weeks. Doing speed work has really been paying off, and although it might not look like much to some, I’m so happy to see improvement. I’ve never been a very fast runner, but getting back to where I was pre-Nella is encouraging.

FIVE. When I’m nursing the baby, the girls love to make a “tunnel” under my legs between the ottoman and the chair. Kaelyn thought it’d be fun to hide and then surprise me… I think this little .GIF is pretty hilarious (and oh so representative of her personality)!  

Happy Friday!

Linking up here, here, and here today!

five on friday (03/03)

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Happy March! We’re on the brink of spring and sunshine, and I couldn’t be any more excited about the upcoming change of seasons.

We had a bit of a rough start to the week with Kaelyn and me coming down with colds. I think this sad little face says it all. Thankfully, she was better within a couple of days, and I’m almost back to normal. It really breaks my heart to see my babies feeling sick. Anyway, we still managed to fit some fun into the week:

ONE. The weather has been all over the spectrum, but we sure enjoyed the warmest day of the week by heading out for a walk and going to the playground. Kaya wanted to push Kaelyn on the swings, and she actually got her going pretty fast! Nella went on the swings for the very first time! She had no idea what was going on, and I just barely tapped the swing to get her moving, since she’s still a little wobbly with head stability. Bare baby toes in the sunshine are my favorite. TWO. Everyone wants to be just like Daddy…Michael’s desk has become the coloring station for Kaya and Kaelyn, sometimes as soon as they wake up in the morning!
THREE. Kaya came up with her own craft project this week… a Hello Kitty, of course! I’m proud of her for executing this idea with minimal instruction from me, and she was thrilled with how it turned out. FOUR. If you know me, you know this is long overdue, but I finally got the kids some French books! I had a really hard time narrowing down what I thought was worth buying to start out with, and I’m actually very happy with this small assortment. I pretty much jumped for joy each time one arrived in the mail, and I’ve loved reading them to the girls. Kaya has started using a few French words and phrases now and then, so obviously, I’m elated. FIVE. Sometimes, my favorite pictures are silly, blurry ones. Bedtime is usually chaos at our house, but I love this sweet eternal family of mine (plus, how cute are babies in jammies?)!

Linking up here, here, and here today!

five on friday (03/04)

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ONE. We’ve had a bit of a rough week. I know it could always be worse, so I try not to complain, but the girls and I have had sickness (bad coughs, congestion, body aches and fatigue) that just wouldn’t go away. Kaya even fell asleep snuggled up to me while I was nursing Kaelyn, which would never normally happen. We’re on the mend, and I’m glad to see my girls’ bright and happy countenances again.

TWO. Despite barely leaving the couch for most of the week, we somehow made it out to go vote in the presidential primary on Tuesday! We basically walked in and right out, no lines or anything. The girls were so excited to each get their own “I voted!” sticker. (And yes, Kaelyn totally busted her eyebrow open on the edge of my laptop. Luckily it wasn’t deep and it’s almost healed already!)_MG_1085 THREE. Oh the shenanigans Daddy will perform for his princesses. Kaya’s cat blanket can act as a saddle…_MG_1077 … or a cape!_MG_1076 FOUR. There’s nothing she loves more lately than these elephant pajamas and pretending that she’s a baby again._MG_1128 FIVE. Camouflage at its finest. Where’s Claire?_MG_1119

Happy Friday! I’m looking forward to (hopefully) leaving the house and having some family time!

Linking up here!

five on friday (10/23)

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ONE. We kicked off our week with PINK EYE (for Kaya) and some lingering colds for Kaelyn and me. Luckily, we quickly got Kaya to the doctor for some antibiotic drops, so she had a just a mild case and is no longer contagious. Sick babies means everyone gets to relax a little extra and enjoy some Daniel Tiger._MG_9601

TWO. Despite being sick, we still made it outside to play a few times. The weather has been all over the place, with temperatures as low as 28 degrees and as high as 69. It felt crazy to break out some of our winter gear already!

Kaya had a couple of great bike rides on the warmer days. (And don’t dare to tell her that she has a tricycle. It’s a BIKE to her and she will correct you!)_MG_9593

THREE. It’s hard to stay awake for 30 seconds after you come home from a walk, while mommy brings the stroller inside… She was out cold.

It’s also difficult to stay awake during lunch, even when candy corn is used as bribery._MG_9648 FOUR. Kaya got herself all dressed on Wednesday morning, and then put this little jean jacket on… and she was too adorable to not take a picture. Between the boots and the denim and the leaves, these pictures just scream “autumn” to me. Love my girl._MG_9645 Admittedly, I still haven’t taken her 3-year portraits (a whole month late now!), and these are so cute that I almost just want to count them as it and be done._MG_9641 FIVE. Because fall is my favorite season, and there is no beauty like the Earth’s._MG_9598

HAPPY FRIDAY! 🙂

Linking up here today!

sick days

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As a mom, I don’t think anything breaks my heart more than seeing my babies sick or hurting. I hate to see them so miserable and wish that I could take all the pain away from them and bear it myself.

Poor Kaya had a rough start to the week. She had a cough on Sunday that eventually turned into a high fever on Monday.Processed with VSCOcam with s1 preset

103.6 axillary temperature. Poor thing couldn’t stop sweating and just wanted to lounge on the couch for two whole days. She would sometimes become shaky, and I was so worried about her fever that we took her in to the pediatrician.

Luckily, the doctor said it just seemed like a virus, and she’s finally feeling better after some rest, daddy cuddles, and ice cream. She’s back to acting crazy, cracking jokes, and making sure Kaelyn doesn’t touch any of her favorite toys._MG_7187It was too quiet around here without all of her silly shenanigans. I’ll take the loud, fun-loving girl any day!

five on friday: smiles, science, and snow

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Finally, it’s Friday! We made it through our sick week and are hoping for a fun (and healthy) weekend!

ONE. It’s so good to see everyone around here feeling better and smiling again! We’re slowly getting our appetites back, and I don’t know if food has ever tasted so good (apparently, Kaelyn’s caterpillar is pretty delicious, too)._MG_6673 TWO. My phone’s power button decided to just stop working yesterday… which is crazy, considering I’ve only had it a year! Luckily, we managed to pull all my photos off of it, and I can at least still text people through Google Hangouts on the tablet or computer, so I’m not living completely in the stone age. I’m hoping it’s an easy fix!

THREE. We had even more SNOW dumped on us yesterday. It was so dreary outside, so we made our own color inside with a little science experiment! All you need is vinegar, food dye, baking soda, and an eye dropper._MG_6659Kaya needed some help suctioning the liquid, but she absolutely loved making her own colorful design. She liked using the sponge to wipe up any drips just as much as the actual activity!_MG_6665 FOUR. I just finished reading The Dressmaker by Kate Alcott, and to my surprise, I love historical fiction. My dad knows pretty much everything about the Titanic, so I grew up hearing a lot of details about the ship and its sinking. This book was a fun review of all that!

FIVE. I’d like to think she’s yelling “happy weekend!” in this picture… so, have a good one!_MG_6628

Linking up with Christina and friends today!