Just a few pictures of what else is going on here lately, besides neglecting the blog a little.

Girl's Weekend

Hooray, we finally got to do this! My sisters, my mom and I met for a weekend of fun and no kids. Above, we are at Jesterz Comedy Club in Mesa. We had decided there would be no cooking - it was our time off. We brought breakfast stuff, and tried a couple fun restaurants - this was at a really good Mexican place.

We made a stop at one of our favorite stores. Here's Kerri and Michelle coming out to show the dresses they tried on - they didn't realize they were trying on the same dress.

Since we were with favorite people, we also had a "Favorite Things" party where we all had to bring a favorite thing to exchange, played some games, ate some favorite dessert. (I re-used your idea, Sally and Laurel)!

I wish we could do this every month! I sure didn't want to go back to making breakfast and packing lunch for school, etc. on Monday morning.

Backyard Improvement

As much as I want to replace our old couches, I'm glad we made this purchase first - for these three crazy superheroes. Later, it became Spiderman, Bat Girl in Blue, and Underwear Girl. Here they are doing a happy dance when the boxes were delivered. Too bad Dad had just gone out of town for a few days. Mom wasn't too successful trying to put it together herself. But I did get some sore arms. Looks like Kate was also underwear girl on this day. We should have more broken limbs in no time.

Pink Party

Katelyn's birthday was just before Valentine's Day, but we postponed her little party for a few weeks since mom wasn't feeling like partying. (Or party planning/preparing). But, party day finally came. When asked what kind of party she wanted, she said, "Pink." She is in an all-pink stage, just like her big sister was at this age. But luckily for me, she just wanted a pink party, not a pink kitty party. We made pink cheerios necklaces and played some animal charades, and that was the end of my plans. But Olivia thought we needed another game so she quickly made an animal cake-walk game, that we had to convert to a "3-M&M-walk" since we were limited on cakes to give away. These last 2 pictures are from her actual birthday - she still got to open some presents from family. She's not supposed to be 3 already! The other day, she asked me, "When the baby comes, am I going to have to be a big kid?" She loves for me to be held and gives lots of hugs. I told her no, she can still be little when she wants to, and mom will still love her and hold her. She's already got it figured out that the baby is going to take her spot as baby of the family, and take her toys, too! She's been hiding some of her toys "up high, so that baby can't come and take them" ever since she found out a baby was on the way.

New Lease on Food

We're really in need of an update here - I've been feeling better for a few weeks now, so the blog needs to stop dwelling on vomiting.
Hooray for feeling like a normal person again. It turns out that food isn't so bad after all. Now, instead of trying to keep snacking to feel better, I just feel hungry all the time and everything sounds good. About everything I eat now is my new favorite food. Much more enjoyable way to go, but still not looking good for the "recommended pregnancy weight gain." Luckily, I'm used to that sort of problem, so nothing new there.
When I first started feeling better, I went to Walmart and filled the cart with food for the week. Then I passed the fish sticks in the frozen aisle. Suddenly, I wanted fish sticks. Unpacking all the bags at home, I was so excited about my fish sticks purchase. "John, look what I got! Isn't it great! And tartar sauce, even!" "You must be feeling better." Yeah, because fish sticks are grosser than about everything that made me sick before, and now they were going to be my greatest meal of the week. I wouldn't mind some more right now. Anyone want to come for dinner?

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.