Update on Caden

Well, as I said, Cade went back to the doctor yesterday. (Note: Do not take other kids with you to the doctor when you have a sick kid that wants to be carried, and you have a baby who can't walk yet.) He got sent for another chest xray. One of the nice ladies that worked there watched the girls for me because Cade was too scared to go into the room alone. Anywho, they admitted Cade to the hospital again and tomorrow he is having surgery. They are going to basically clean out all of the fluid and puss that has built up in his right lung and then put a chest tube in. Sounds fun huh? Poor kid. He really is being a good sport. We will update when he's doing better.

Brynlie's new toy

I have found the perfect thing to keep a 14 month old busy while I make some phone calls. The only problem is I just have two left!

Pnemonia + Birthday = NO FUN!

I'll try to give a quick run down of the past week. Last Monday Cade woke up with a fever of 104.5. It didn't get much better and by Tuesday afternoon he was screaming from stomach pain. In talking to the pediatrician they thought the pain might be from his appendix. So we went to the ER and and after a couple of hours we found out he has pnemonia. Apparently with pnemonia there is a lot of inflammation which can cause stomach pain, nausea, etc. The doctor showed me his chest xray and his right lung had a huge white area where the pnemonia was/is.I have to say, this kid is pretty tough though. He didn't even flinch when they started the IV in or the two separate times they drew blood. He was in the hospital for 2 days and had some great people take care of him. We also had some great people from the ward and Heath's work and family and friends take care of us. Thank you all SO much!

Unfortunately, Cade wasn't feeling all too great on his birthday, which was Saturday. He asked Brooklyn to open his presents for him while he watched with no excitement at all. Maybe we'll have to rewrap them when he is feeling better. He is going back to the doctor today because he still has a temp. of 103 that won't seem to go away. I guess it will just take some time!

Look Who Turned One!

We celebrated Brynlie's 1st birthday on Valentine's. This last year has gone by so fast. She loved her cake. She was even licking the pan. It was a pretty low key day but we had fun.Last month my friend Andrea and I braved a drive to Utah with 6 kids! I'll admit that I was a little anxious about the whole drive but the kids did incredible! They kept each other entertained and laughed and sang and seemed to have a great time. Thanks for coming with me Andrea!

Brynlie and Cade loved to play with the marbles. Brynlie soon got banned from the game because the marbles kept appearing in her mouth.

Who doesn't love ear muffs?

And yes, Brynlie has found her nose. Every time she rediscovers that hole she thinks it's hilarious. Cade and Brooklyn get a kick out of it as well.

Brooklyn is now in the hair business. Poor Cade enjoyed it too much.

So apparently my kids think they have incredible style and everything always looks good.

I may not be up on my fashion but cowboy boots with suit pants...tucked in? He honestly thought it looked "cool". The kid wears those boots with everything! Imagine a red tshirt, shorts, teal soccer socks pulled up under his shorts with boots to top it off. And this was in public...I chose not to pick that battle that day.

Brynlie loved Grandpa Bob but then again what kids doesn't? Grandpa is turning 90 this month! We love you grandpa and grandma!

We had a fun trip in Utah and are excited to go back in June for my dad's 60th Birthday!

3 Signs you know you aren't wanted somewhere

If you ever wonder whether or not someone is annoyed at your presence, take note of the following:
-After getting off of the escalator a little boy named Cade, couldn't resist touching that big red button that's on the escalator. The escalator stops and it starts making a really loud beeping sound. Immediately "Mr. Security Guard" walks by us, looks at me and said in a extremely sarcastic tone, "Oh, that's nice!" Cade got a lecture and he really did feel horrible.
-Ten minutes later in the same store (different department) my mom sees a security guard and asked if it was the same guy. I look at him and he immediately makes a b-line for the opposite direction.
-Probably another 10 minutes later (different department) Brooklyn and Cade kept laughing about something pretty soon that same security guard walked by through all of the clothing racks as if to see if we were causing any more trouble.
So I think it's safe to say that Mr. Security Guard would not like it if we were to frequent his store. He was obviously annoyed. Lucky for him, I hate to shop so there is a good chance that by the time I go shopping again he will have moved on to another job.

Bad things come in 3's!?

So I've heard the saying that bad things tend to come in 3's. Well I sure hope that is the case because if it is then I'm out of the woods.

You see, back in the middle of December we were driving along one rainy evening to my parents' home, and we were stopped at a traffic light. As we were patiently waiting for the red light to turn green all of a sudden we were jarred forward and heard some crunching noises as a teenage driver had rear ended us. Yes, everybody was fine, and there was barely any damage to our car so not really that big of a deal.

Then, on Christmas Eve as we were driving yet again to my parents' home for dinner and we were again stopped at a traffic light getting ready to make a right hand turn. There was a car in front of us and they were turning right as well. The car in front proceeded to make the turn, I looked to my left to make sure no traffic was coming and I hit the gas to make my right turn. Well for some reason, that I'm still not sure about, the car in front of me decided not to make the full turn and had stopped and I smashed right into the back of their car. Again, no one was hurt and our car seemed to be okay, but their poor car was pretty crunched.

And now, since bad things do come in 3's, last night as I was leaving work I see a note that is on my front windshield under the wipers. I pull it out and the first thing it says is, "I am VERY sorry." When you read those words first you know the rest can't be good. The note continues to explain how this girl was backing out and accidentally hit the back end of my car! You have got to be kidding me. I just had to laugh at the whole thing. My rear bumper was scratched and buckled out from the other paneling. I was very thankful, however, that she did leave the note and her number to call her for insurance information.

There you have it. A perfect example that if something bad happens in your life, don't get to upset about it yet, because you've got two more "bad things" coming you way. I am living proof! Lets just hope it has ended and this trend doesn't continue in multiples of 3.

Quick Update

Our friends from dental school, the Rasmussen's, came to visit earlier this month. The Mitchell's came over as well and we had a great time visiting and laughing. Thanks for coming guys! We have been loving the nice warm weather!

Ever wonder what you would look like without any teeth?

Brynlie has recently started to get into things. It might not have happened this soon except for the fact that Cade, being the helpful older brother that he is, showed Brynlie how to get in the cupboards. It went like this. "Here Blim, you open the door and then you pull everything out. See!"

Cade started Preschool last week. Can you tell by his cheesy grin that he was SOOO excited to go?

My parents were in town for almost a week! Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures with them but we had such a GREAT time with them here. They did so much for us (like always) and I already miss them.

No one told Cade that Halloween is over.

Does this look like a baby that has a high fever with croup and can't sleep? She is such a content and HAPPY girl. I am so thankful that she is such a good baby!

Still Alive

Yes, we are still here though our lack of posting suggests the opposite. Christmas has come and gone and we had a great time. Sorry no pictures this time, I'm too lazy to download them tonight. I just had to write a few things before I forgot them.

Lately Cade has really been into Star Wars. OK, let me rephrase that, he has been OBSESSED with Star Wars. It's pretty fun to watch him get so into it. Quite often he reminds me that he's not Cade he's "Luke Skywalker". Grandma DeEtte gave him the Star Wars Trilogy for Christmas and that was a hit. He got a light saber for Christmas as well and I think he finally feels complete. Well the other day the kids and I got in a water fight and I kept laughing and pretty soon Cade turns to me and said, "Laugh it up fuzz ball!" I wasn't quite sure I heard right so I asked him what he said. This time he said it with a wag of his head, "I said, laugh it up fuzz ball!" So he really does pay attention to all parts of the movie and not just the fighting scenes. I thought it was pretty funny.

Brooklyn and Cade have nicknamed Brynlie, "Bryn". Cade seems to struggle with words that start with "Br". He calls Brooklyn, "Brookie" but it sounds more like "Bicky". So of course Bryn sounds like "Blim". He's always concerned that she's sad or tired. "You sad Blim? Blim are you tired? Huh Blim? It's OK Blim." Who knows it might stick.

The Things They Do

So the other day Brooklyn and Cade were playing together and soon enough they started arguing. It was one of those times that I was pretending that I couldn't hear what was going on. Pretty soon I heard a loud smack and then Cade started crying. I'm sure I rolled my eyes and thought, "Here we go again." Shortly after, Brooklyn started crying. It wasn't her hurt cry but sounded more like her really sad, I'm sorry cry. I was hoping she was feeling badly that she had hurt her brother. So I walked up to them ask what happened. No answer. I got closer to Brooklyn and kept asking why she was crying so hard (Cade was fine at this point). Finally between sobs she managed to get out, "Because my song is on!" What? As I paid closer attention to what was on the radio, I recognized the song, Where are you Christmas? from The Grinch Who Stole Christmas soundtrack. Earlier this summer Brooklyn watch that movie for the first time. She was watching it by herself and I decided to check on her. It happened to be the part where Cindy Lou Who is singing Where are you Christmas? Brooklyn was bawling her eyes out. I thought she was hurt but she told me she was crying because the little girl sang that song so beautiful. Yikes, is all I have to say. The girl is only 5 years old and she is so emotional about a song! I'll be honest, I was trying not to laugh. Wow, we are in for a treat when Brooklyn is a teenager. Good thing she's so lovable!

On the flip side, Cade is such a boy! If there is anything he can throw, he throws. If there is something to kick, he kicks it. If there is a pile of whatever on the table, he knocks if off. For example, I was at the store this morning and Cade saw a huge Christmas tree with pretty ornaments on it. So what did he do? Yep, he walked right up to it and knocked this huge bulb right off the tree and sent it bouncing. Nice Cade. Luckily it didn't break. Don't get me wrong, I love the little guy and he is a good kid. We'll just work on not being so destructive. It'd probably help if Heath and I weren't always laughing. His faces are too funny not to.

Nine Months Old and Kids That Fly!

I think each kid grows up a little faster than the last. Who knows where the last nine months have gone. This is a typical expression for Brynlie. She is definitely a squealer turning screamer. I know she's trying to communicate but it would be a little more pleasant if it was an octave lower. She is such a fun baby though. She is pretty much always happy unless Brooklyn is over doing it on the hugs and kisses (which happens often) or Cade is squeezing her cheeks too hard, or he's sitting on her like she's waiting to give him a horsey ride (which also happens often). They've got a lot of love for their little sister.

She's crawling everywhere. If she sees something she wants to play with she laughs until she's got what she wants.
Brynlie is such a little Heath. We've tried calling her Heather and Heathina but...no.
She loves to suck up necklaces like she is eating spaghetti. Of course everything goes in the mouth at this stage. It's like she has her own built in pocket.
The kids LOVE to jump on the couches. This morning they were showing me some of their flying techniques.

Nice form Cade! He's working on getting his back straight. They had to check out each picture and then they tried jump a little different or a little better. Not bad entertainment for a Thursday morning!