The world is a gross, gross place.

And this is a gross post. You've been warned. I'm counting down the days to being over the morning sickness. But, as this might be the last round of it for me, I better record the fond memories. Especially for any of you who don't get to experience it yourself.

I hate food. It all makes me want to throw up. And I do, lots of times.
It can't be helped with things like chicken guts, leftover spaghetti in the fridge, smelly-good soap in the bathroom. Now I need to go throw up.
Okay, I'm back.
About the only time I'm not feeling sick, is when I'm eating. so the problem with food seeming so gross to me, is that I have to eat it. About every 2 hours (sometimes less) that awful feeling starts getting stronger, and I have to find something (in the disgusting category of food) to put in my mouth. It's a dangerous job, looking for a snack - too many smells coming at me if I open the fridge. And when I open the pantry, I'm bombarded with horrible sights - like Wheat Thins, or a can of tomatoes. I have to grab those Honey Bunches of Oats and run.
Around 4:40 each day, John asks me what we can eat for dinner so he knows what to cook or what he needs to pick up. That is a really hard question. But once I come up with the one thing that doesn't sound too disgusting at the time, I can't wait very long for it.
The other day, I told him I needed 2 bean burritos from Taco Bell. He took a few minutes to figure out what else to order, talked to the kids, and then started looking at something on his phone. The nerve! It was 4:58 and he was not on his way to bring me those glorious bean burritos. I tried to wait patiently, but sometimes, I gotta eat.
Eating all throughout the day to try to feel better is also a really good way to put on weight. Especially if you eat, then go back to sitting on the couch because you don't feel like doing anything else. And I don't just eat a few carrot sticks every now and then. I need breakfast, snack, first lunch, second lunch, afternoon meal, dinner, bedtime "I really hate food but I have to eat something." It's a great diet plan.
There are a few foods that I haven't turned against. Number one - oranges. What a perfect food! They're juicy, they're good for you, they're easy to prepare/eat, they taste good and don't smell nasty (which can't be said for much else). I just can't understand why I don't see people everywhere eating oranges all day long.
Next in line - taco bell bean burritos. Now that is a meal that I can handle. Protein, flavor, no "questionable" ingredients - at least none that I want anyone to tell me about. Don't ruin my "safe" food for me. It's safe mostly because there is no meat in it! (Meat is something no one is allowed to talk about at our house right now). Especially the poultry kind. The "c" word is not nice to my stomach.
One night, after losing my dinner around 8, I was starting to get sick again and knew I better try to eat something fast. The only thing I thought I could down was a burrito, and John was busy trying to get Jackson to stay in bed. So I went. Halfway there, I had to pull into a gas station, open the car door, and leave a present for them all over the parking lot. Then I continued on my way and got the stupid burrito.
Another time, when asked what I could eat, I thought I needed something different - no more potatoes or toast. I told him Chinese food sounded good. So we got Chinese. That was a mistake. Rice is not very pleasant coming back up - forcefully. It wasn't a fun time in the bathroom that evening. Now I hate the sight of that stinkin Chinese restaurant that we have to drive by on the way to school. But, now that I've said that, hope you all enjoy your next Chinese meal.

Update: I wrote most of this a week or two ago. Now, I want no more oranges - for a very long time, I'm sick of Taco Bell, and I feel like burning all my pajama pants and sweatshirts. But just one more week and I should start to feel like a normal person again (I hope)! I think I'll throw myself an end-of-trimester party. And clean my house.

News

We're expecting!
Only 10 weeks along, but I got to hear the heartbeat yesterday - making me realize, hooray, there's really a baby in there! Uh oh, there's really a baby in there!

Jackson in action

This was a few weeks ago, before our big snowstorm. He wants to wear shorts all winter long (usually his soccer uniform from summer). And usually only crocs or spiderman snowboots. No in-between.

Arm Update

If you look at the last picture I put on here of Olivia in her sling, you can see some differences in this picture. The bright blue cats-and-dogs sling has been recovered, with some corduroy fabric she chose out of mom's pile. And she has a smile on her face!
I actually covered the sling the night after I did the last post, so she could feel more ready to face her peers. My sister Tammy just showed me how to make fabric flower, so (I'm a little embarrassed to admit) her sling is even "embellished." She still didn't want to go in to school, but I walked in with her (she had a jacket covering all the evidence of the break), and stayed for a few minutes while she told the whole class the story of what happened. They all wanted to hear, so the teacher had her go to the front so she could tell all at once. While she was gone, they had all guessed how she broke her arm - falling on the wood floor wasn't as exciting as what they had come up with. They all had more questions and told her they were glad she was back. Then the teacher asked who wanted to help Olivia out that day. All hands shot up. She was happy to be there.
She didn't like having to try to write with her left hand all day, but she's getting better at it.

And this was made after John told her, "Maybe Mom could make a sling for your doll, too, so you could still be matching." The doll just won't cooperate in keeping her arm at her chest.

We have to go back in on Wednesday to make sure the bones haven't shifted and are healing correctly, but so far she's doing well!

Worst Christmas Break

This December, the stomach flu hasn't wanted to leave us alone.

We've all it at least once, and I think we've been hit by 3 different viruses throughout the month. But Olivia's had the worst of it.

This is her story of the last few weeks. (Keep in mind this is the same girl from the incident involving sickness and a cockroach from a few weeks ago).

The 2nd weekend of December, we planned to meet some friends up in Utah, stay in a cabin by Brighton, and take our kids skiing for the first time.

Olivia started puking the night before we were supposed to go. We stayed home. She had a miserable flu that lasted 3 days (I know it was miserable because I got it, too, but this isn't about me). She got better in time to go back for the last couple days of school before Christmas vacation.

Friday, she and I went to see "The Nutcracker." She had to run out to use the bathroom near the end. She had diarrhea all weekend.

Monday (beginning of her break), she got sick with the flu again, just slightly different symptoms (along with Jackson and Katelyn). Lots of messes for me to clean up. It was the most wonderful time of the year. We were afraid we would have to tell my family not to come for Christmas, but everyone was better just in time.

We drove up by the ski resort and went sledding with cousins Monday after Christmas, and Olivia decided she really liked it, and couldn't wait for it to snow at our house so she could do it more.

Just a couple days later, we finally got the big snowstorm at our house that she'd been waiting for, so they could play in the snow and go sledding. When she woke up the morning, she said her tummy hurt again, but still got bundled up to go play. She threw up in the snow.

This was her third time around. There were only a few days left of her break. When she was feeling better again, we wanted to do something fun before she had to go back to school. No more sickness allowed! For New Year's Day, the plan was sledding (we got a couple new sleds), and then to go to her favorite restaurant here that she's been wanting to go back to for awhile.

After sledding, they came in and pulled off boots, snowpants, etc. by the door. A while later, we got ready to go out to eat, and Olivia ran to turn off the light. She slipped on her snowpants and fell on the wood floor.

She broke her arm!!!
She didn't feel like going to her favorite restaurant anymore.

Her arm will take 6-8 weeks to heal. She is really sad to have to have it in a sling (the break is too close to her shoulder for a cast), and does NOT want to go to school until she's out of the sling - in 6-8 weeks. She's worried that she can't write or eat or do fun things. I didn't remind her that she also won't be able to go sledding until it's healed - or skiing!

I'm trying to convince her that wearing a sling to school is not so bad - you get to show it off and tell everyone what happened - she's not convinced. She really doesn't want anyone to see her wearing it, and thinks they'll tease her. She missed today because we were at the doctor, but tomorrow might be a struggle. Anyone have encouraging "breaking-your-arm-is-great" words for her?

She says this was the worst Christmas break ever, and breaking your arm is a bad thing to do for New Year's Day.

A Little of Christmas

My family came up to our house for Christmas, and we all went sledding. Here's me and Kate in the air. She's a pretty fearless sledder, but we weren't really aiming for that jump. I wasn't in control so much, as you can see.


Here's our nativity the Monday before Christmas. Olivia was Mary, Katelyn was an angel/sheep, John was Joseph and a shepherd, Jackson was a wiseman, and I got to be the donkey.
And also a camel, bringing the wiseman from far away in the kitchen.

Here they are ready to come out on Christmas morning to see what they got. Jackson couldn't contain his excitement to sit for a picture. He had just plopped down after running in circles on Olivia's bed.

Thanksgiving

My girls and baby Riley at Grandpa's house.


Mesa temple lights

Katelyn working on turkey craft from Nana.

Olivia said we needed a cornucopia, and no one else signed up to bring it, so it was up to me to provide. (I saw this on someone else's blog once, so I tried it). It looked pretty yummy, but we just looked at it and didn't eat it!

Running on Thanksgiving means you get to eat more.

And now Merry Christmas Eve!

Football Game Party

We had some friends over to watch a BYU game.

Here are some of the fans. They were secretly working on something in Olivia's room, and came out with this sign.

No, the guy in the drawing is not jumproping (as John guessed) - that's his helmet. And they don't always win like they wrote, but they happened to this time, making for some happier dads at the party.

Just Another Day

I've slowed down with the blogging lately, but here's a story for you.
Last week, I decided it would be a good idea to tag along with John when he drove down to Mesa to do surgery there. He goes down every other week to get some extra surgery days in, since winters here are slower. This time, he needed to start at 7 in the morning, so the company got a hotel room for him to stay in the night before. Since he was already going and there was no school for veterans day, we jumped in the car with him so we could go shopping for snowboots (not too many stores here), and go surprise my mom and play with her for the day in the warmer weather.
Sometimes I have the best ideas.
This is how the plan went. We made it to the hotel, and took John to work early so we could have the car. We didn't want to wake my mom up early, so we got kind of nasty McDonald's breakfast and went back to the hotel. Kate's pancakes were "dross" and Jackson didn't want his "big tater tot" (hashbrowns), so they took my yogurt and fed each other instead. Since my food was gone, I got in the shower. While in my peaceful shower, I heard someone come in the bathroom . . . and someone else follow. Then I heard crying. I looked around the curtain to see vomit all over the floor, with my two girls standing there staring at it. Then I saw the green-filled toilet - which Olivia explained is the reason for her puking. She went potty, and the sight of what came out of one end made her throw up from the other end. It was all over her clothes, she was upset and feeling sick, Katelyn was standing there as a spectator but couldn't get out without stepping in the mess, and I wasn't exactly dressed to clean it up and rescue them. It was awesome.
I grabbed a towel for me and a couple for the floor. Olivia stripped down and went out and laid down in her shirt only. Five minutes later she was back on the potty. After cleaning up, I washed my hands, and saw two strings sticking up from my make-up bag by the sink. I went to pull them off - those dumb strings were cockroach antennae! I pulled up a huge cockroach from my bag by his "strings." I hate that tricky cockroach. My kids came to see what I screamed about, and we caught it in a cup and put in the toilet. He could swim. It got to the side faster than I got to the flusher, then it HELD ON to the side of the toilet bowl while the water flushed past it. I ran out to see what injury Jackson had just inflicted on Katelyn, while at the same moment Olivia had to run back to use the toilet AGAIN. She saw the roach under her right as she sat down. At hearing her scream, I went back into the bathroom. I flushed again, but the roach held on. Through three flushes!! While Olivia stood there trying to hold the runs in. She hates that cockroach, too. We finally got him down, Olivia got everything out, and Jackson finished off my breakfast.
Olivia seemed to be feeling better, so we checked out of the hotel. (I'm sure the maid loved the pile of towels we left for her in the bathroom).
Next stop, Nana's house again, to surprise her with our visit. Oh yeah, it's her day to work at the temple! Surprise for us - we can't even see her until lunch time.
But there's always boot shopping while we wait. We went to Target. Weird, John was right when he said Phoenix probably doesn't have many snowboots. But the Target worker told me, "The Target stores in like Minnesota probably carry them," so that helped.
No Nana, no boots.
I walked around Target a little longer, until I was done with the, "Can we buy this?" "No" conversations. Back to my mom's, and she was there! Hooray!
The best parts of the story are pretty much over . . .
The day improved with some yummy lunch at Nielsen's frozen custard (that can make up for a lot). Then we picked up John and played at the park for a while, and got dinner before we had to say bye and head home.
John doesn't believe me about the roach - but it's a true story. Watch out for brown strings.

Halloween

I really liked my kids costumes last Halloween. This year, nothing too exciting. Jackson wore a hand-me-down dragon costume and a red punch mustache.
I was working on a ladybuy costume for Kate (after seeing how cute the one was my sister was making), but she wasn't too excited about it. My neighbor brought over a few, and Katelyn saw this blue dinosaur and was sold on it. So she was a di-saur, with a crooked head piece all night.
I did make one costume - Olivia wanted to be a bunny, but she wanted to look like a real one, "with ears that flop back, not just stand up straight." (You were probably wondering if that was a real rabbit sitting there. Nope, just my amazing fleece rendition). She was a little offended when people asked if she was the Easter bunny. "No, I'm a regular bunny." Get it straight.
She must have heard me talking about how much more fun homemade costumes are (even though I only like to make them if they're fast and easy), because she ran around the house in her long-eared hat singing, "I have a homemade costume!"

At the ward trunk-or-treat.

This kid wins our vote for a cool costume. His mom wanted a picture of him with the eye doctor (and the eye doctor wanted one, too).

But homemade costumes or not, we got candy.

This dinosaur likes candy.