We're home!

Yes, it's true- after just 5 days in the hospital with RSV (which is less than the amount of time we were in for just a cold!) Brylee was able to come home. Boy was she happy! I couldn't get her to take a nap all day yesterday because she just wanted to play, play, play! Logan and Kaleigh were just as excited to come home from school and find both mom and baby back! Our older kids are so wonderful when it comes to dealing with the unstability that seems to define their lives this past year. They just adore Brylee and think that everything about her is perfect. It's a great example of "unconditional love"- the way we feel about our children and ocassionally siblings feel about each other.

Speaking of kids (which is all most of us blog about!), I now am a believer in family scripture study. We have NEVER been consistent about this until Pres. Hinckley died and we heard about the "Hinckley Challenge". We've since fallen way behind in this lofty goal we set, but have managed to faithfully read several times a week. Still I've wondered how much my kids are getting from this because the seem so bored and distracted. A typical night of reading for us consists of Kaleigh twisting her hair and trying to braid it, Logan staring out the window looking for pheasants in the yard, Jace climbing on everyones back trying to play "buckin bulls", Brylee trying to escape so she can play in the toilet or empty cupboards and drawers, and Jonathan falling asleep. All of this is going on while I read and discuss everything we've read by myself. Sound familiar? Well, for FHE this week, we were unprepared so I decided that we were all going to tell our favorite story from the scriptures we've read so far. I was surprised when they each came up with a very descriptive account. Kaleigh impressed us the most with an extra long version of Nephi getting the plates from Laban. Yes, I realize that they learn these things in Primary, too, however when asked immediately after church each week what they talked about, I get the same "I don't remember" from all 3 of them. Plus all of their stories really were things we've read recently and not just random scripture stories, which tells me they're learning. Who would've thought?!

Time for a walk!

2 of the 3 kids are actually looking at Jonathan, but my pic turned out better. Abbie was kind enough to post it for me (thanks Ab!) but I wanted to say a few more things, along with this picture, about this past hospital stay. Utah Valley is the BEST hospital around and don't let anyone tell you different. We are very well known in the Pediatric Unit, which means as soon as they see us coming, someone rushes to get me a Diet Coke and I'm never without one until we go home. How many mom's do you know are invited to share the nurses Sunday "Potluck" lunch? I AM!! And last but not least, one of the darling nurses who is so good to us suggested Jonathan and I need a vacation and offered to use her week off this month to watch our kids. Who does this??? And it's not just about how good they are to me. Brylee has nurses coming in to visit and check on her throughout the day, whether they are her nurse or not. They all play with her and bring her special toys they think she'll like- she's a celebrity! Anyway, it's a great place to be if you have to be in the hospital. On a more serious note, everytime this happens to her (us), I find myself reflecting on my life and my family- the things that matter most. This reflection period is usually followed by guilt, wondering if it's me who needs these situations to keep my priorities strait. I'm SO excited about this new house that until she got sick again it consumed me! Don't get me wrong- there's nothing wrong with a new house, but since she's been sick I haven't really thought about it. "Balance" is what I need, but not what I'm good at. I'm a work in progress, I guess you could say, but at least I'm aware and trying! Anyway, this cute picture is of my sweet Brylee and her doting big brother and sister going for a walk. The poor thing was so desperate to get out of the room she allowed us to put a mask on her just to walk around the halls. She constantly points throughout the day at the door and immidiatey reaches for anyone who looks like they might be leaving the room. Poor thing! I wonder how much of this she'll remember and if it will affect throughout her life- ex. will she always hate hospitals and nurses- anyone in scrubs holding stethescopes? Will she always scream at the top of her lungs if she is made to lay down and hears the sound of something that might resemble a suction machine? These are the things I worry about, but for now she's getting better. One day at a time...that's how we live!

RSV...

Here we go again! Brylee has been in the hospital since Thursday with RSV. Can this sweet little girl get a break? After receiving 4 of the 5 recommended RSV vaccinations (after 3 you should be safe) she still gets it. The normal pattern for Brylee and hospital visits begins with a runny nose, followed by deep congestion, then wheezing, then hospital. All of this takes about 2 weeks, but this time I knew it was different because it came on over night- literally. She's such a trooper, though, and it blows my mind that she can still be playful and happy while being confined to a hospital room, surrounded by a tube in her nose giving her O2 and a cord/sensor monitoring her saturation level. I'm always amazed at the "fun" things she discovers she can do while in the hospital. She was getting SO restless that I had the nurse bring me extenders for her O2, I take off the monitor, and let her crawl around on the dirty floor. Yuck, you say, but if it makes this poor child happy then filthy she will be! She crawls over to the glass windows and door that seperate her room from the hallway and presses her face against the glass. Then she blows and it makes that farting sound (for lack of a better term!) she thinks is so funny. As she's doing this, the doctors and nurses are gathering around outside the door, making faces at her and commenting on how cute she is. She never fails to entertain and bring a smile to all those around! We hope to be home within a couple of days, but we've given up predicting this and the doctors now realize that there is no "normal" cycle of an illness if it's Brylee that has it. We know she'll be fine and we've definietly been through much worse, but it sucks just the same!

PICTURES! (FINALLY!)

OK, so these are just of my two youngest because they happened to be the only ones home when Abbie's friend offered to take their pictures for free. Jace is at the age where he tries a little too hard to smile and Brylee looks a bit like a white Aunt Jamima, but they are still just darling. To make it easier for me (as I said before I'm somewhat "challenged" in the computer department) Abbie brought the disk over and downloaded it for me. I can handle it from there. Anyway, I promise there's more to come! Also, on a little sidenote that is actually super important, we start building our new house THIS WEEK! We have had such a hard time getting our financing because we are both self employed and need a stated income loan (IMPOSSIBLE to find nowadays!) but we did it after trying for 5 MONTHS! I'll give you all fair warning that there will be much talk, pictures, and updates about the progress of this house, as well as color schemes, furniture, etc. on my blog. I LIVE for this stuff!

Nothing, really

I haven't posted in a while, and although I've promised pictures (for those who have asked why there aren't many) I'm computer-illiterate and can't figure out how to download them myself. One of these days I'll get my husband to do it- heck, maybe I'll just learn! Anyway, I had an awesome time with my mom, sisters, and sister-in-law last weekend and I recommend all you gals/moms out there do something similar AT LEAST once a year! My mom, Abbie, and I started a tradition a few years ago of going to St. George for the weekend during the Parade of Homes. The next year we invited all the other girls to go and now it's just what we do! I don't know about them, but I look forward to this each year beginning with the drive home! It's 3 days of almost non-stop home-seeing with just a few shopping and food breaks in between. They spare no expense with these homes (I really do have pics that one day I'll post) and it's amazing to me how extravagant some people can be. I can appreciate a nice home as much as the next guy (or gal), but come on- a closet the size of a master bedroom and a master suite the size of the average home?! I found it ironic that I came home and was watching Oprah the other day when they talked about "freegan's". These are people who literally dumpster-dive for all the necessities of life. It's not even financially necessary for most of them. Most freegan's do this as a political statement of how wasteful we are as a nation (they find some pretty good, decent, CLEAN things that they use!) and how minimally we could actually live and still be comfortable. They all seemed pretty content with this lifestyle. I think I fall somewhere in between these extremes, but being "wasteful" is something I'm trying harder not to be, and extravegant is something I can't AFFORD to be!

Anyway, back to our weekend. We laughed the entire time- beginning with Alys going to the ATM at the bank while we all went through the teller drive-through. She went back to the spot where we had been, but got in the wrong car (we had moved to a different spot). This was hilarious, watching her open the door and see a kid, slam it, then stare around the parking lot trying to find us while others in the drive-up were laughing. It got even better when we were shopping. April saw something behind her, figured it was Abbie, started talking to her, only to turn around and find she was talking to herself in the mirror. We had a blast as we always do when we're together (which is a lot!) and I'm hoping Steph did, too. This was the most time she's ever spent with her female in-laws and she was awesome! She fit right in as if she'd always been there. She had to leave us for a day to go to an interview at a lawfirm in Vegas. Come to find out that was definitely a drive worth taking (even though it rained HARD the whole time, she got lost, her phone died, and she was hours early because of the time change) because she got the job! The interview that should've taken a half an hour took 2 hours, they wanted a week to make their decision, but then called her in 3 days. She knocked their socks off- way to go, Steph!

Needless to say it was a lot of fun, but I must admit by the end I was really missing my husband and kids. I think time away ocassionally is healthy because you come home with a new appreciation of your family and just your life in general. Brylee wouldn't let me out of her sight, but the other kids were too consumed with the toys I brought them to notice me, which was OK- I was a kid once, too! Jonathan missed me, although I'm not sure how much of that was me personally, or just someone to help with these crazy kids! He did a great job with the kids, house, and everything else while I was gone- Thanks, Hon! You're a good sport!

New tricks!

Aren't kids just amazing? I get so sappy when it comes to my littlest because of all her struggles, but this post isn't about that, we are going to discuss (or I'll discuss- you'll read) her wonderful accomplishments (or "milestones" as the doctor calls them). Actually I think I'll discuss some "Brylee funnies" instead. That's what makes this time so much fun for us! Here's a list of what she's doing now...
* She crawls faster than most people walk- I'm not kidding! She chases me around the kitchen while I sweep because she's fascinated with my pile of junk on the floor and wants to play in it.
I have to resort to confining her to her high chair so I can get some things done. Then I have to give her a snack to keep her occupied, which she drops and throws all over the floor that I'm sweeping, looks at me with her big, blue eyes, and says "aw ooooo" just as sweet and innocent as can be. As if dropping it was an accident!
* She stacks food on top of her head. This is absolutely hilarious! Athough most kids somehow end up with food in the hair, it's usually because they had it on their hands and touched their head. Brylee will pick up a handfull at a time (crackers, fruit snacks, spaghetti, mac and cheese, etc.) and stack it on top of her head. It eventually falls off and ends up on her clothes, in her ears and of course all over the floor and she'll once again say "aw ooooo". This means lots of mopping, bathing, and laundry, but it's so funny I don't even mind! I'll post some pics of this later.
* She wakes up at 7am on the dot every morning, lays in her crib (she doesn't even sit up or stand) and yells "UP!" over and over until someone gets her. Once she's out of her crib she points to where she wants to go (which in the morning is towards her door, but she does this all day long). We bring her in on our bed, where she sits and bounces herself on her behind so high she falls forward on her face, and then she laughs. Then she'll want to get down on the floor so she can crawl into Jace's room and grab at his face or hit him until he wakes up. She does this every morning without fail. Our Brylee is definitely a morning person!
* She loves to go outside. This is a problem because of the freezing cold weather, but we'll take her out ocassionally for a few minutes at a time. If you ask her if she wants to go outside, she gets all excited, starts wiggling around and breathing fast, then she waves goodbye at whoever is in the room and points towards the door. She loves the animals and has no fear of petting even our biggest horse.
* She likes to nod and shake her head really fast. I think she enjoys this because it makes her dizzy, then she laughs. Either she just thinks she's funny or she likes being disoriented- I'm not sure which.
* She is super stubborn and feisty! Her tantrums are so intense! She'll either dig at your face or her own when she doesn't get her way. If she's on the floor, she'll throw her head down- regardless of the table or hardwood floor in front of her, and scream (and not just because of the pain!). This isn't quite as fun as the other things, but it's some insight into her personality so I'm sharing it with you- plus it can be funny at times.
* When she's on a hard, flat surface she spins herself around in circles on her butt. If I'm in the kitchen, I'll sit her on the counter and she'll use her feet to spin her around and she giggles the entire time. She's quite proud of this trick! This is extra fun when the older kids are sitting at the bar because she knows she's entertaining them so she spins even faster and laughs harder.
* Last, but not least she gives kisses all the time. Sometimes you don't even have to ask, she'll just lean forward and plant one on ya!

Of course there's more, but this post is long enough. I am enjoying her so much! I have such a bad memory that I don't remember half the things Jace would do at this age. My mom says I was just as gushy and crazy about him as I am Brylee, but because I've forgotten and there was no such thing as "blogging" 4 years ago, I feel like I'm experiencing these things for the first time. Maybe a bad memory isn't such a bad thing! It keeps life exciting! I'll post some pictures as soon as I get my camera back because I realize that is the most important part of blogging. I just felt like bragging this morning.

My girls...

I added another post with a picture of all my kids, but because I had started it a while ago, it actually shows up before my last post titled "Sad day" so check it out, too. Anyway, here we have Kaleigh, who is our little "poser". I remember when we took her to get her pictures taken for her baptism and there wasn't a bad shot in the bunch! She loves the camera and the camera loves her. She's also a "nurturer" and is absolutely wonderful with Brylee. However she could use some help in the department of Logan and Jace! They either gang up on her or leave her out because she's a girl, then she retaliates and makes their lives miserable!
And here's Brylee showing us her nose. At least her finger isn't in it this time! She has sores on her cheeks because of the stickers used in the hospital to keep her oxygen in place. They're gone now and she's good as new!