The Dreaded Flu

Little Lady of the house began running a fever yesterday and at about 3:30 today I realized it was just not coming down and infact it kept going up. I am so thankful for the GREAT pediatrician's office I have found here. They squeezed me in and of course had us in and out within an hour.

They took her temp in both ears and I knew something was fishy when the nurse said I'd like to take her temp rectally as well. She had a fever of 104.5. She was shaking uncontrollably. They tested for the flu and it came back negative but because nothing else appeared to be a problem they are pretty sure it's the flu. All of the symptoms add up. Can I just express what a pitiful sight she is?

Please whisper prayers for her today and mention her being well by Thursday, her 1st birthday. I am excited about a talented and super sweet youth group member doing her cake and we have reservations at the tea house for our family. My parents were supposed to come in this weekend but my mom got sick and my dad realized his schedule wouldn't allow it. Let's just say we have seen better days than today.

Fridays of Fun

Have I ever mentioned that Fridays are my day out? I can do whatever I want, when I want to-on a modest amount of money. My husband takes the kids, changes diapers, gets up early, prepares the meals and I enjoy sleeping in and whatever else I feel the need to do.

When I first started doing this I was kind of bummed about my modest amount of spending I get to do for the day but now it is SOOOO fun. I must brag on myself and say I ALWAYS have a few bucks left and prove to myself that a good time doesn't have to cost a lot. Typically I enjoy a movie at the dollar theater and I love to mosey on over and enjoy the dollar scoop of Gelato at Red Brick Pizza (less calories, cheap cost!).

Yesterday I enjoyed having my nails painted...RED. It was then I realized I am getting old or act older than I should b-c I realized getting Pretty Woman Red was the most daring thing I had done in a while. Just remember good nails don't have to cost a lot. Pass on the pampering and just request a polish change and it's typically between $5-7 and don't forget to tip!

I visited Marshall's to buy Cola's birthday outfit, which was a dress with a scene from London around the bottom. It had tea shops, phone booths, tea pots, big ben....it was perfect for her tea party birthday but I sadly realized they didn't have her size :(

Today I found a new outfit. It wasn't the style I wanted and doesn't really match the tea theme but oh well, she will be cute no matter what she wears and the outfit screams DIVA ALERT! Enjoy some pics of our week!

All smiles!

Library day!

Dalen's "color train" he made while we waited for storytime.

Big girl sitting in a big girl chair!

Cola ready to clobber Dalen for teasing her about eating broccoli while he devoured chicken!

Fine China

This morning and I didn't begin on the right foot. By 9 a.m. Little Lady had already had bath #1. Every morning we do the same thing. We are woken by Dalen, we get up, fix him a Nutella and then go on about our day. This morning Cola decided to wake up a little early-early enough to spot Dalen's uneaten Nutella and bread. Dalen ran into our room screaming, "She's got my breakfast!" I had an uneasy feeling it wasn't going to be pretty, and it wasn't BUT it was sure darn cute.




This gal loves her daddy! I love that she is finally expressing favoritism towards a few people. Her daddy is one of the few.



And we all know fine china doesn't belong in the dish washer but somehow my finest china ended up inside. This little chica LOVES the kitchen and bathroom. We can't even allow her to come in the kitchen if we are doing the dishes because she unloads them as soon as we put them in! I was feeling a little nice one particular day and let her wonder in the kitchen. Mario and I looked down and there she was-completely inside! And yes, that fork is dirty-gag, I sure did!

Can I give you something else to gag about? I haven't washed my hair in 4 days! Yeah, I am so serious. I have extremely oily hair and I have tried EVERYTHING. The Tea Tree shampoo worked for a bit and then stopped. Everything I keep reading says do not wash your hair everyday (which I have always done b-c if I don't its so greasy you could fry chicken on it) so I thought I would give it a try. There is a product out there for greasy hair called hair powder and it comes in the color of your hair but it's $35 for a 4 ounce can! NO THANKS! So I have been using regular baby powder and slapping my head to get the harsh whiteness out and the oil is GONE! How ya like me now?? My husband is gonna die when he sees I have confessed this lol. Hey if it works, it works. I am not sure how often I can do this. Just the thought makes me nauseous!

Bookworms

After my aunt mentioning storytelling at her local library it gave me an idea to try our local storytime out. The kids had a fabulous time and I learned that the kids section has more than books, they have toys too! Dalen made friends, of course and even Cola ventured off to the reading rug and listened to the stories. Enjoy some pics of their time at the library.

PS-Aren't you so glad Dalen is back to letting me photograph him?

For your viewing pleasure!

"Mom, is the lightening the bones of the sky?" -Dalen-

Karate Kid

This is my Karate Kid. He's not allowed to do karate moves anymore (b-c he kept practicing on his sister, no I'm not kidding) but it was the only way he would allow me to take his picture with him looking. He is so anti-picture taking these days! Did mention in my last post Mario has been under the weather too? I can't remember and I'm too lazy to go back and look.

By Wednesday morning Dalen was acting normal again. Still has the sniffles and a cough but no fever. Mario is on the mend as well-we think! I took Dalen to the mall playground and left C with Daddy. Dalen really is a totally different kid when it's just him. He's a lot calmer and listens a lot better.

Here is a post about a few funny things he has done/said lately. Mario was wrestling with him last night and they "play punch" and roll around growling and screaming. Mario thrust one of his play punches right over Dalen's heart and Dalen yelled,"Hey, Dad! Don't hit me in my heart, Jesus lives in there!" Good to know huh? I'm sure his house wasn't shaken.

It's freezing here today! Like in the lower 30s! I made Dalen wear his big fluffy coat and his teeth were chattering by the time we got in the car and he said, "Man, this cold is going to freeze my teeth off my lips, Mama!"

Upon pulling out of our apt. complex a lady decided to run a stop sign and nearly hit us head on. She threw her hands up at me like I had done something wrong. I threw mine right back up and pointed and yelled "YOU'VE got the stop sign, NOT me!" She took a quick glance behind her and covered her mouth as if to say she didn't see it. We both then made our turns and Dalen threw his hands up in the back seat huffing in the most sracastic tone ever, "Welp, that just went great, Megan!" I laughed hysterically and asked, "what went great?" His reply- "I just can't talk about it, Mom. Too, just too, frustrated." He is so hilarious.

We get to the mall playground and Dalen takes his jacket off and turns to the lady next to us and says, "This jacket was 160 bucks! Ok?" She was totally taken back for a moment and then just laughed for a long time. I assured her it indeed did not cost that much.

We had a very nice time at the mall and even visited our friends at the card shop who of course don't acknowledge me until Dalen pops around the corner. When we left dalen let me know he likes leaving little leesey (cola) at home...a lot!

My Son

Tonight on our way to church, Dalen said some pretty funny things. I'm sure you aren't surprised. He told me he wanted Kinger Burg for dinner (Burger King) and then told me I was a "pretty awesome driver" when I turned the corner a little to quickly. His laughter soon faded when we got to church and I realized he was running a fever.

Yeah, it happens that fast! He threw an absolute fit when I told him we were going to have to come home. He is now sleeping sound, Cola is comfy in her crib snoozing away. The picture above is before I put her down for bed. She kept squeeling for Dalen to look at his watch she found but he was sleeping so of course didn't respond and so she kept pushing it as hard as she could right on his nose. She is too funny.

I took Dalen to the doctor on Saturday and they gave him a clean bill of health-after a strep test. He was fine Sunday and Monday and all of the sudden he is "hot and cold all over my skin and bones" tonight. It's the strangest thing. Please say a prayer if you think of him. Of course, I am praying it's not the dreaded flu.

All of my friends and family are enjoying snow days inside this week. They got about 8 inches! Cheers to hot cocoa and snowball fights and please think of me while sitting in front of your crackling fireplace! Florida has gotten the yucky end of the snow storms-rain. Not too much but enough to make you say yuck. Well I guess you are pretty desperate for conversation when you start talking about the weather. So, if you will, excuse me I just rented a DVD from Redbox and I think I'll take full advantage of some peace and quiet, while it lasts!

Party for a Princess

Here we are at the beginning of 2011. If I've said it once I'll say it a million times, "I can't believe we are the start of a new year!" I also can't believe that I am start to plan for Cola's 1st birthday! I can remember feeling like the time went quickly in Dalen's first year but with Cola I feel like it has literally flown by, not to mention she is so petite it's even harder to believe in less than a month she will be one!

I've also talked a lot about how different Dalen and Cola are and I am really trying to plan a party she will enjoy. Nothing worse than a house full of guests and the birthday girl/boy not enjoying their own party. We all know Cola likes to observe and occaisonally get involved in activities but not often. She is a total less is more type of gal and I LOVE it! Because she is young and I don't know too many people with babies as young as her I am checking out all kinds of things she would enjoy.

I THINK (not positive) I have settled on taking her to a character breakfast, lunch or dinner. I haven't decided which meal we will do but I think it will be perfect for her. This chica LOVES to eat, she can watch the characters, touch and talk to them if she wants and I know Dalen will enjoy this too. I never realized just how many different places did these things! There are several places that do princess themed character meals and I'm just narrowing down which one we would love the best. I like what I am seeing about Cinderella's Royal Table and it comes with a photo package.

Our church began the Daniel's Fast today. My husband has asked me several times in all seriousness, "How we will survive withtout chicken??" To be honest I am not very sure. If any of you have any easy and inexpensive recipes feel free to comment and leave me ideas. I am really excited to see what God will do in our home and church through 21 days of prayer and fasting and continuing to read the New Testament in 30 days. I am also eager to see exactly how much a good diet changes your body and mood.

You might be a stay at home mom if...

-pulling the blinds up and seeing the sun and taking a hot shower in decent length equates to a trip to the beach

-you can change a diaper, talk on speaker phone, hold a bottle and concentrate all while your three year old screams in the background

-you thank God you get a vacation everyday...while your kids nap

-when you're asked if you work out you answer yes even though you haven't seen the gym in years. Chasing a three year old all day and running up and down the stairs after your newly adventurous baby tries to go up them counts as cardio, right?

-You find yourself praying for the kid's bedtime to get here quickly but as soon as they are out for the night, you are too

-you find yourself staring a poopy diaper naming the unique color and wondering if they have eyeshadow in the same shade

-you use baby powder as a beauty product. it's great for absorbing the oil in your hair on the days you just don't have time to wash your hair and dry it

-cooking the most adventurous activity in your day and somedays you pray you really butcher a new recipe just to have a great story to tell your friends on the next girls night out.

-you count your post pregnancy body as a science lesson-yes, gravity exists. what was once up is most DEFINITELY now down

Ok, ladies and gents, I could go all day. Ever since Christmas Eve the kids haven't gone but a day or two without at least one of them running a fever or being sick. This time it's Dalen. He has had a fever since yesterday and now he's complaining of a sore neck (throat). At this point I'm ready to tack on a $35 co-pay category to our weekly budget. Last Saturday we had a flag football game for the youth that I missed, today it's the youth leaders advance where we map out this next semester for our leaders. Poor, Dalen! He has looked forward to going ice skating for a week with everyone after the meeting. Looks like that will be postponed.

Motherhood makes you appreciate the small things in life-warm showers, a full nights sleep, a few quiet moments in your day to read or watch a show or just stare into thing air (yes, I find myself doing that some). It also makes you miss the big things-hassle free vacations, affordable date nights as often as you wish, peaceful dinners out in restaurants, grown up movies.

What small things do you see yourself thankful for now that you are a parent? What big things do you miss without the responsibility of another life or two...or three?

Babies

I am loving my new camera! Can you tell yet? I have literally been blinding the kids with its flash but they will forgive me when they put together their wedding slideshow and have PLENTY of options. ;)

Today I went to see two friends at the local hospital who had given birth to their baby boy last night. I didn't ask permission to post pics of him on my blog so I don't have any to show but let me just say-he is tiny, cute, snuggly and just so tempting...do you know where I am going with this??

No, I am not pregnant and to be honest Mario and I have both done a lot of talking about possibly being done. We have our girl, we have our boy-perfect stopping point? It's just really hard to think we could ever permanently close that possibility to our lives. I really don't know if we should close that chapter for many reasons; we're young, God may introduce us to a orphan in need of a family and provide the resources to adopt, and because sometimes things just happen. I guess this is where God and faith and free will kid of crash and explode in thin air for me.

How respectable it is to see a couple who trusts God SO much they allow him to entrust them with babies in his timing-not theirs? For the first 5 years of marriage this is how Mario and I have done things. I almost feel like to say we are done is limiting his plan or what could be or does he desire for us to choose or do we have our own personal convictions which in many cases can differ from one another. Ugh, my brain is aching! HA!

Well, speaking of God...I began reading the New Testament in 30 days yesterday. WOW! At first I was kind of speed reading my portion for the day just kind of get that liberating accomlished feel (read previous post) and then conviction stop me mid sentence and challenged me to do this for revelation, not accomplishment (or say so). So last night I stayed up until after midnight (WAAAAY passed this woman's bedtime) and read for God to reveal himself to me and he did. What a great God we serve.

Enjoy the pics up top. Sorry for the grumpy pic of Dalen but he just isn't much into picture taking these days.

The Accomplished Me

The New Year is starting off with so many challenges for me! Mario is requiring all of the youth staff to read the New Testament in 30 days, our church begins our 21 day Daniel's Fast and I have a few challenges for myself as well. Do you ever make a check list and get this liberating feel of accomplishment when you complete the task? I love that feeling!

All I really care about this New Year is being an accomplished me. Everyone makes resolutions and in two weeks they can't even remember them. I have no desire to do that. I do however just desire to accomplish whatever I set out to attempt. If I don't have the full motivation to complete something I am not going to attempt it...at all. That leaves me feeling like a failure and at times settling less for an job of excellence.

What is something you have wanted to accomplish for some time but haven't?

HAPPY New Year

Last night we had a big celebration for New Year's Eve at our church. We had guest singers Trent and Keisha Cory. WOW! They are awesome! Find them on iTunes or get their album they are phenomenal!

The kids were instructed to take the liberty of coming to church in their pajamas since it was going to be a late night and I must say I loved this! I think I have confessed that I think my kiddos in their p.j.s is just the cutest little sight. I especially love the skin tight ones that show just how pudgy their bellies are and I can't mention their cute bellies without talking about their tweet tushes! Cola wore a pair of her Tinkerbell ones (new for Christmas) and Dalen wore his monkey pajamas.

It was such a great night! They were supposed to stream the ball dropping and we slightly missed it but we caught the confetti aftermath! Have I ever mentioned how much I love confetti?? I mean I LOVE confetti. I only like it falling because once it has hit the floor all you think of is someone having to clean it up. So I got to see my favorite part.

So a HAPPY New Year it was for us. Enjoy some pics below of our night. But one quick story before you go. I decided I would wear red lipstick last night (I haven't done that in YEARS) without saying anything Dalen immediately noticed and said, "Hey, Mom, I really love your ladystick (lipstick). You really look awesome!" Can I just say how pretty I felt last night after that compliment. He is so sweet. Enjoy!




The kids in their pajamas!



What would New Years be without a kiss from the one you love??



We decided to go to Cracker Barrel this morning. My husband said he wants it to be a New Years Day tradition for us. It was sooo good!



Me and Cola rocking away!



It's 2011!