Catch up time!

I'm a slacker, this I know. Just a quick update on Ashley... she is doing just fine. Her mouth has healed completely and she doesn't complain about it hurting anymore.

We went to Spokane to visit Nate and Emily over Labor Day weekend and had a great time! Emily threw me back into running and I'm very thankful since I have two races coming up in the next couple months. We played games, went shopping, watched a movie, and made some wild cakes! We sort of celebrated Ashley and Lexi's birthdays on Sunday since they share one. The girls looked on http://www.familyfun.com/ and found some funky cakes. Lexi's cake was called Topsy-Turvy and Ashley of course picked out a princess castle. Making them was a bit of a challenge and I'm not sure if I'll attempt the disaster again, but at least it made Ashley's eyes light up. For her actual birthday we went to our favorite restaurant, Jalapenos, and had a combined birthday bash for Brandon and Brinton as well. Afterward we went back to our house for cake and ice cream. Opening the presents was a hoot! Ashley had been asking us for a couple weeks if she could get a bride barbie. We bought her a bride and groom set and a few other princess things. When she was opening one of the gifts she would squeal, "I know what it is! I know what it is! It's Diamond Castle!!!" It was totally worth it just to see the huge grin on her face. I love getting her presents because she is so grateful no matter what. What a sweet thing. Happy Birthday, Ashley! We love you and are so glad you were born!

This last Saturday was a busy day, but full of accomplishments. The best one was Sammy had her first race! She and I ran the Harvest Classic Fun Run to support her school. It was a one mile loop and she did pretty awesome! There were a few times where she had to stop and walk. At one point I carried her on my back and ran... she will tell you that was the hardest part of the race. Guess what? Mine too!!! And when we were at the last leg of the race she took off and ran the rest of the way. Andy said she finished in just under 15 minutes. I am so proud of her! And of course we had to wear matching tank tops that said, "Some girls chase boys. I pass 'em." It was fun and look forward to running more races with my girls!

1st ER Visit

We had our first emergency room visit with Ashley today. The girls from across the street were over playing when Ashley came running into the kitchen screaming! I tried to get her to calm down and within a few seconds her mouth was full of blood. I yelled for Sammy to grab a paper towel and then the doorbell rang. Thank goodness it was Gordon ready to pick up his girls. We took a closer look at Ashley and tried to get her to tell us what happened. Apparently she was trying to talk/blow into this... ... and fell with it in her mouth. It's a tent pole for her princess tent that goes over her bed. It's only plastic but it did quite a number in her mouth.
Gordon took Sammy to his house and I packed up Katie and Ashley and headed to the ER. I called Andy on my way and he met us there. The nurse and doctor saw us right away and told us there isn't much they can do. The doctor called an oral surgeon and discussed if they should give her a stitch. They didn't want to sedate her so opted not to do it. However, they thought we should take her in tomorrow to see the oral surgeon. They sent us home with instructions and prescriptions for pain medicine and antibiotics.

Katie was very sweet to her for a few minutes and hugged her very gently... even kissed her.

And this is what it looks like now... after the bleeding mostly stopped. (It's not the best picture, but she's been crying a lot since it happened and this was the most she would open her mouth.) The doctor said she was lucky it didn't hit her artery. It was close but it hit the bone just enough to stop it. She'll still be in quite a bit of pain, though.

1st Day of School!

Today was Sammy's first day of Kindergarten! She rode the bus there and back with a grin just like this one! She told me all about her teacher, friends, recess, and snack time. Apparently that was the best part because they got chocolate chip cookies... but not the girl next to her because she's allergic. What? (Poor girl doesn't get to enjoy the yumminess.) I thought I might get a little emotional because most mom's do when their first kid goes off to school. Nope! I sent her on her way and went shopping with only TWO girls. Yahoo! I'm glad she gets to ride the bus with a couple of her friends and it stops just across the street. (It'll be nice for those cold winter days when I can stay inside and watch from the window.) Okay, so I have to mention the outfit. Andy and I discussed whether or not to get her a new outfit for the first day of school. The child has more clothes than I do! (I love that we get all of Thueson's hand-me-downs!!!) Anyway, Andy convinced me since it was always a tradition in their family... and since he caved on the ear piercing I thought it was the least I could do. So I took Sammy to good ol' Target and had her try on different outfits. She chose this particular one all by herself and said, "Definitely this one! I love it!!!" It had the sparkles and the embroidery! Man, is she a girly-girl or what? The bad thing, those pants are a size 4! She is so skinny around that the next size up swallowed her whole and spit her out again! I even tried slims, but no luck. If any of you moms out there have that same problem when it comes to shopping for your petite girl do you have any suggestions? I'm afraid she's going to grow out of these jeans lengthwise and not have any other options. HELP!

And just a little side note... I think we, as parents, started off school badly. Sammy had an assignment due today. She was supposed to color a picture of a school bus and write her name on it. (It was sent in the mail among a few other things.) I lost the first copy and asked her teacher for a new one on Friday. Last night Andy and I searched the whole house to find her paper crumpled and torn in the garbage! I was not about to ask her teacher for a 3rd copy! I taped it back together, ironed it flat, photocopied it, used white out where you could tell the paper had been ripped or wrinkled, and photocopied it again. It actually looked brand new! Andy said, "I think this is a bad omen."

I almost can't believe it!

I checked Sammy's hair twice today and both times she was clear of pesky eggs. (I can't tell you how excited I am!!! Wahoo!!!) Andy and I discussed her reward for being so good and came upon an agreement. Sammy and I walked into the mall and she asked what we were doing. Guess! "Are we shopping for clothes? Are we getting new shoes? Give me a hint." As soon as we walked into Claire's she started jumping up and down, clapping her hands, and squealed, "I'm getting my ears pierced!"(Before picture. Still extremely excited!)
(Little nervous because she knows it's going to hurt for a second.)

She said, "Mom, I just have to close my eyes." Okay, you go right ahead.

There were two ladies doing it at the same time so she wouldn't change her mind after one. The right side didn't go through all the way and the lady wanted to pull it out and start over. Are you kidding me? I had her step aside and I pushed it through the tiny, tiny bit of skin. She was totally brave and barely whimpered but as you can see from above she loves them! She was so excited that she wanted to call everyone ranging from Hollie, Grandma, and Brigetta. And of course everyone she saw she had to show off her new bling!

Consumed...

I've been away from the blogging world and this is why... Any guesses?

Head lice! We have no idea when or where she got it, but it is so gross! She came down to breakfast and said, "Daddy, this is why my head itches. There are bugs in it." And she had a live louse on the tip of her finger! We immediately started looking through her hair and when we saw one move we were totally convinced she had lice. We sent Andy to Walmart and we started the Nix treatment right away. It took six hours to go through her hair and try and find those pesky eggs. The first couple days were the worst. I had to strip all the beds, do all the laundry (which I hate to do anyway), vacuum every inch in my house, all the beds, couches, and pillows that we didn't throw away! Sammy has been quarantined in her room since we started the treatment. Every morning and night we check her head for eggs/lice, wash bedding, and vacuum her room. I have made many phone calls to my SIL, Sarah, for questions. (Thanks SO much!) When Sammy is lucky enough to go out of her room this is the look she sports. I make her wear a shower cap underneath so that the lice are trapped and hopefully won't spread. Surprisingly no one else in the family has been infected with this disgusting, and highly contagious outbreak. Unfortunately, it's not gone yet. I still found two eggs this morning and we had such a battle to wash her hair that we almost shaved it all off. She starts school next week and if it's not gone by Thursday the hair is coming off! It's amazing how it has consumed our lives. It seems lately that is all we even think about. And when this is all done I'm going to try and convince Andy to let Sammy pierce her ears for a reward. She really has been very good through all the treatment, except this morning. She's been begging us for quite some time now and I think it would be really nice to let her do something big for all that she has gone through. We'll see how it goes.

Anyway, that all happened after a long week of fun! We first went camping with my two younger siblings, my mom, and my step dad. We only spent one night and I didn't even hardly get my camera out, but we did have fun. As soon as we got back we finished last minute things before we had company. My brother, Nate, came to spend a few nights. And my SIL, Cindy, and my sister, Shiloam, flew in for our annual girls' retreat. It was my year to plan and we stayed at the Meadowood Lodge in McCall. It was such a great place!!! The whole time we were there it was rainy but we didn't care. 4 out of our 5 meals were provided for us as part of the package deal and it was so yummy! If you ever get a chance to go it's totally worth it.

Brigetta's birthday was on that Saturday so we of course celebrated! (I thought this card was pretty funny!

Here she is showing off her Cinnabar necklace from the girls. It was one that she wanted but didn't order. Happy birthday, B! We love you tons and are so glad we live close to you!

These were taken at a little 50's diner in town called, My Father's Place. Yummy! And oh, so much food! I ordered a banana split and it could have fed all of us!

Above: Mom, me, Brigetta

Below: Shiloam, Cindy, Ashana

Thanks for coming, girls!

Love Story meets Viva La Vida

If you haven't noticed already, I have a lot of Jon Schmidt's music on my playlist. I could listen to him all day! My sister, Shiloam, posted this on her blog I thought I would share, too. If you love listening to piano music as much as I do you will love this. And even if you don't care for classical music this is still a clever little arrangement/performance by Jon and Stephen. And I do really love what Jon has to say at the end. What a great thing for a dad to do for his daughter. So take a quick second to pause the playlist below and enjoy!

Saggy Tummy

Okay, so this was a little funny. The other day I was with my mom and sister waiting in a Dermatologists office and my mom starts looking through some books. One of the books showed a new type of treatment to help get rid of aging spots and wrinkles. It was funny to listen to my mom snickering at the before and after photos of people, especially when she got to the stomach section. She said, "Look at this one. It looks like it's her bum." At that point I had to see what was so funny. She showed me the picture and I said, "Hey, that's what my tummy looks like!" She didn't believe me. So I stood up (there wasn't anyone else around) and I pulled my shirt up so she could see what I was talking about. Ha, it really does! Not so funny now, huh? I guess that's what happens after having three kids... and losing a lot of weight since Christmas. We had to laugh about it for the rest of the day.

An Unexpected Friend

Today I had to make a run to Walmart on my way home. I was coming from Boise so I stopped at the Garrity Walmart... not my usual. I laugh that I always run into someone I know at Walmart. It doesn't matter if it's 2:00 AM and I'm looking "pretty." Today was no exception, but I was completely shocked as to whom I ran into. It was my friend Kerri Costley! She and her family lived across the hall from us in our first apartment. I haven't seen her since Ashley was born. They moved to Michigan and we moved to Colorado. Now they live in Texas and we live in Idaho and it's so crazy that we ran into each other at Walmart!!! I've thought about them so many times and tried to track them down. But since I dropped my phone in dish water I've lost touch with lots of friends. Their daughter Lorin used to sneak over to our apartment so I could paint her fingernails. The last month we were there was really fun. I wasn't working and I was itching to have my own baby girl. It just so happens that Kerri had their second daughter 2 days before I had Sammy. They also have a daughter just 7 months younger than Ashley. It was fun to laugh with Kerri and Cory about having all girls. We of course exchanged phone numbers and blog addresses. I got sucked into reading her blog all afternoon! I think they are my new heroes. Their daughter, Izzy, who is Sammy's age was diagnosed with Leukemia and she has gone through 2 1/2 years of therapy. I cried my eyes out reading Izzy's blog. Seeing pictures of Cory holding Izzy in his arms you can tell how much he loves that sweet little angel. I can't even imagine what Kerri goes through as a mother to see her child endure such pain. Izzy has more strength than I ever new a child could have. She's had to endure many, many spinal taps and blood transfusions that it makes my heart ache. The good news is she had her last treatment recently and is finally in remission. If you want to see her journey video click here. I'm so glad I ran into Kerri and I'm excited for future conversations! Good luck Izzy with your journey to come! I know your family loves you so much and so do we!!!

We're Back!

Okay, I know I've been a slacker on the blogging thing but we've been out of town. Since I last posted I ran my 4th half marathon race (Saturday the 11th). This one was called Fit For Life and the finish line was across home plate at the Boise Hawks Stadium. My official time was 2:03:14 and I think my face said it all. I was completely shocked since I only ran once in the previous two weeks and I still managed to cut another 6 minutes off my time. Who knew I had it in me?

Later that day we celebrated Andy's birthday at Tucano's with some friends... Yummy food, great atmosphere, and awesome company. He got spoiled once again and got Guitar Hero World Tour (new guitar included). Happy 30th, Andy! I love you so much and I'm glad you were born!

We left Sunday to go down to Utah. We stayed a couple nights at my brother's house and while there I did my second Lia Sophia show for my SIL, Cindy. It was a success and we had a good time. Andy I think would disagree. He took the girls to a movie while the show took place. He came back and said he was NEVER taking Katie to another movie.

Tuesday morning we headed up to Midway for the annual Wyne Family Reunion. We were the last ones to arrive and it seemed everyone was already having a ton of fun. Our girls played, ate, played, got wet, played, ate and slept... a little. They love being able to play with all their cousins for 3 whole days. And now they are big enough to do sleepovers with them.

Andy and I had to make the most of our room and tried to laugh about it. I asked Andy where our room was and he said, "We're in the fish bowl." Huh? That's right! We slept in a fish bowl.

It was a two story room in the middle of the cabin with windows on all sides. Andy's sisters, Dana and Mindy, were kind enough to find sheets to hang up, but they fell down shortly after. So, we changed in the bathrooms, put Katie down for naps in the Brown's room (thanks SO much for offering), and awoke to little faces pushed against the windows. Our family activity we planned was Family Jeopardy. Each category was a family and there were 6 questions in each. The last category was "Who Knows" which meant it could come from any family. One of the questions was, "Which cousin said, 'Jesus has eyeballs in his pocket.'?" (Sammy) Mindy made some comment on how it wasn't on my blog... Sally piped up and said, "Actually it is on her blog." Ha, ha. At least I know someone pays close attention to the funny things my girls say.

One of my favorite things while at the reunion: getting to know my SIL, Gwendolyn, better. She and Nate got married 2 years ago and they live in California. So we only see them about once a year. My not so favorite thing: running up hill for our last mile with Amy and Emily. The other 6 miles of the run was fun and I'm glad they (including Lisa) will run with me as slow as I am. You can check out Sarah's blog for more on the reunion.

Friday we headed back to Adam and Cindy's house. We layed the girls down for naps after all the playing on little sleep and they were OUT. I went to Amara... yahoo! And later that night our friends Kurtt and Marilyn came over for some games. It was so fun to see them again. It's been way too long.

Saturday we got up at the crack of 7:00 and went to Lagoon!!! That was part of the deal coming down to Utah and believe it or not Andy didn't disagree with me. Check out Cindy's blog for the awesome day we had.

Eye Infection Update

I saw my optometrist today and... my eyes are getting better! Wahoo! Now for the best party, I get to wear make-up and my contacts for about 8 hours a day. Plus, no more yucky eye drops. I know this sounds crazy, but they made me so nauseous. I know I'm not crazy though, the doctor told me he's had to use them before and they made him sick, too. The only other thing I have to do is put a damp, hot wash cloth over my eyes 3 times a day for about 5 minutes. Sure, I'll obey those doctor's orders. It gives me an excuse to lay down.

Eye-eye, sir!

About a week ago my left eye was bothering me and I decided to give it a few days before I saw a doctor. I threw out my old contact lenses and that helped. After a few days my eye seemed to be back to normal. Yesterday around 7 in the evening my eye started to bother me again. I had a hard time sleeping and by morning my pillow was drenched with tears. When I looked in the mirror I found my eye swollen almost completely shut. I visited my doctor and the verdict...

Double eye infection!!! What does that mean? No contacts, no make-up, and eye drops for about ten days! I hate not being able to wear my contacts but if it allows me to see I'll obey the doctor... and I guess it makes for easy clean up in the morning if I can't wear any make-up. Shaving, and drying my hair might be interesting because I am seriously blind without my contacts or glasses. Wish me luck my eyes get better fast! I'll see my doctor again on Friday to see if there's any progress.

4th of July Celebrations!

We celebrated the 4th of July at home with our neighbors and friends at a block party. The kids decorated their bikes and scooters for a parade. We ate lots of food! Afterwards the kids rode their bikes down the street where they received prizes at the end. Then we had a water balloon fight. It was still light outside so we sat around and visited while throwing snaps at each other. When it was dark enough Ron Knapp put on a pretty awesome fireworks show! It was so much fun and we look forward to next year!

Guess who's 2...

My little Katie Bug is two years old today! These last two years went by so fast I can hardly believe it. Katie's labor and delivery was very long and excruciating pain, but I wouldn't trade her for anything! When I found out I was pregnant with her it was a very difficult time and I had a hard time accepting the fact I was going to have another baby. I think I was even in denial for a long time. But the moment I saw her I knew I loved her more than anything. She has been such a joy in our home and we love every moment with her. She is so fun and has this happy, bubbly personality that we can't get enough of. Katie we love you so much and thank Heavenly Father for sending you to us. You are truly a blessing in our home! Happy Birthday Katlyn Emma!

I Run For Chocolate...

...And Champagne apparently. Angela and I ran the 1st annual Boise half marathon, I Run For Chocolate and Champagne, sponsored by See Jane Run. It was perfect weather! The course was marked wonderfully with inspirational thoughts in between mile markers, and it was beautiful. There was plenty of room to weave in and out of people which was a huge improvement from our last race.

We stayed together and talked for the first 11 miles and then we turned our iPods on and just ran next to each other. I started to get my huge boost of energy and by mile 12 I turned around to see where Angela was and she signaled for me to run ahead. I took off!!! I must have had 30 kills in that last mile and when I passed the photographer I was feeling so great. I was listening to "Jump" and I can't listen to that song without jumping... go figure! Right as I came up to the photographer I jumped as high as I could with my fist straight in the air and yelled, "Yeah!!!" The people around watching had a pretty good laugh, but I look like a dork in the picture. As I was coming up to the finish line I saw a lady just in front of me and I thought, "One more kill. Just one more kill." She saw me and gave me the look of, "No way! You are not going to pass me." And she pumped it!!! I ran as fast as I could to keep up with her. She beat me, but I was right on her heels and gave her a run for her money... ha, ha... get it.
I crossed the finish line, received my medal, took off my timing chip, and found a spot to cheer Angela on just in time to see her nearing the finish line. I screamed as loud as I could and then she smiled. She later told me that she didn't think she was going to be able to finish and then she heard me screaming her name. She kept telling me that I kicked her butt this race, but she came in only a minute behind me... what do you think? Crazy girl!

I later found the girl that made my legs jello at the end and had to get a picture with her. My official time was 2:09:28.368 and Joanna's time was 2:09:28.122. She literally beat me by a split second! Angela's official time was 2:10:50.298. I was so thrilled with my time. I cut another 9 minutes off my time since the last race and 18 minutes since the first race. Our goal was to finish in 2 hours and 15 minutes and I surpassed my expectations. I came in 92nd place overall out of 264, and 13th in my age group. I know to some of you that might be slow, but I was so excited. And for those of you wondering that is a 9.5 minute mile. Wahoo for me! I was proud of myself I wore my medal all day on Saturday... and even to church. That was more just to bug Bryce and make Angela smile. She told me to wear it loud and proud. That I did!

Happy Father's Day!

There's no question he loves those little girls... and they love him to pieces back!!!

To all you dad's out there, Happy Father's Day! Thanks for all those many, many diaper changes... even when you felt like throwing up. Thanks for all those times you finished even when you wanted to quit! Andy, thanks for being the father of my children. You are the best daddy in the whole world!!! We all love you so much!