Happy Easter 2013!!!

We had a great Easter weekend this year.  I always wait to do Easter eggs on Saturday.  But, it always feels so rushed for me so this year I tried to do it on Friday.  It's always one of the kids favorites.  This year I accidentally bought a weird egg dying kit.  They put drops on their eggs and then spread it out all over the egg.  I wouldn't recommend this way.  The eggs had to be done warm and they felt sticky even when they were dry.  But, it was kinda a fun change.  The kids said they liked the other way better.

Here's some pics:

We asked the Easter Bunny to come on Friday night this year because we wanted Sunday to be more about Christ's resurrection than candy and toys.  So, Saturday morning they woke up to their baskets.  We couldn't find their real baskets so they had used things around the house.

Then, of course we had to make it to the Easter Egg Hunt in Rigby.  It was a lot of fun for the kids and we couldn't have asked for better weather.  It was so nice to be outside and not freeze.  (And to all of you who say the wind is always blowing, it has been a gorgeous weekend with no wind. :o))

Today of course we talked and watched a movie about Christ, the Atonement, and His resurrection.  It's interesting to see what the kids understand about it all so far.  I'm grateful for Christ and all He has done for each of us.

Jackson has understood that when we die we will have to do what Christ did and be nailed to the cross then we will come back to life.  I am so grateful to be able to tell him that all we have to do is repent for our sins and try our best, then we won't have to suffer for them.  Christ has already suffered for us. What a great blessing!  I'm so grateful for a brother that loves us so much to suffer for us even though he was perfect!

10 YEARS!

March 28, 2013 marked our 10 year anniversary!!!  I think about it and these past years have gone by so fast. 

Looking back, I thought I knew a lot...

I knew we wanted to live in Idaho. I always pictured myself ending up in Idaho Falls...Not Rigby!  We used to make fun of the Rigbyites:)  But, I love it here.  It's near church and school and we have great friends and a little bit of family left nearby.  It's close to Bo's work...and it's not too far from I.F. ;)

I knew we wanted to be married.  I never knew how great being married could be.  It's great to live with your best friend, have a family and all be together.  I still can't wait for Bo to come home after work and either can the kids.  He has a calming effect on the family and we love it when he's home.  The other thing I've learned from being married is that the only thing better than being married is adding to the family.

I knew we wanted a big family but didn't know we'd have FIVE kids by now.  But, we wanted a big family with kids spaced every couple of years.  It happens fast when you start early:)  We are so blessed to have each one of these adorable kids.  They make life worth living.  They definitely bring twist and turns for better and for worse (at times) but I have grown and learned so much after adding a new babe to our family. 

I knew we were getting married for eternity and we wanted to be.  But as years pass and we learn and grow together, add new members to our family, and live every day (occasionally have scary or sad experiences).  It makes me so grateful for the plan of salvation and the knowledge and testimony I have of it. I would be so sad to know that this life was it and wonder if I'd ever see my loved ones again.  The gospel brings such peace as I know I'll be able to live with our family for eternity.  I was grateful for the temple when we were married but my appreciation grows as time passes.

Of course life is not always bliss and hard times have come.  But,  we've made it through them and I am so blessed to have such a great family to weather the storms with. 

I'm sure in 10 more years I'll think I didn't know anything back then (as in now), But life teaches lessons along the way and we never stop learning.

I love you Bo.  Thanks for sharing 10 great years of your life with me and can't wait for the many more to come...


We decided to spend our anniversary with the kids.  With Caleb being so young, there really isn't another option for us.  But, it will be a day to remember for everyone. 

We went up to Idaho Falls and started at Walmart of all places.  The kids needed new bikes so we went to see what size they needed.

Then off to the Green Belt we went.  This was the highlight for us.  We fed the ducks and then the seagulls came looking for some.  It was fun to toss the bread in the air and watch them catch it.  I think the seagulls were more fun than the ducks!

Lunch was our favorite, Pizza Pie Café.  Is there anything better than dessert pizza?!

After that we went to our first family movie at Edwards.  The Croods.  Everyone liked it, including the adults:).  It was really funny. 

We did spend the evening together just us (plus Caleb) and got a sitter for the other kids.  We didn't do a whole lot, because Caleb was really fussy. But we did drive down 17th street to reminisce about how we met :).  It wasn't nearly as great as is was 15 years ago :o).

I'm so mad at myself for not taking more pictures!!!


 

Happy St Patrick's Day!

This morning the kids woke up to a treat!  A leprechaun had visited our house and left a trail of skittles and gold nuggets!

Yesterday Hailey and I worked on a "hotel" for our leprechaun.  She didn't want to catch one, because he needed to get around to other kids and home too. :)  It took awhile, but I think it turned out pretty cute.  Especially the inside.  It was all her design and I just helped glue on the paper and make the roof.  I love the lamp addition.  It was very pretty last night in the dark.  A very welcoming hotel for our leprechaun.

The work was worth all the effort because he left a great treat!

Whew...What a Week!

Last Tuesday at about two in the morning Caleb woke up to eat.  I couldn't get him to go back to sleep he  just cried and cried.  At first I thought it was gas.  But then I noticed a fever.  A fever too high for a newborn.

 

I called the Dr. and they didn't have any appointments that morning so they sent me to the ER.  Not cool!  But, if you don't know when you take a baby under two months to the ER with a fever and no more symptoms, they do a total work up on them including a spinal tap and chest x-ray.  Then they admit your child until the result come back. 

They found out he had right off he had RSV but it was very early on and didn't have any symptoms. But then we had to wait on cultures and they take at least 24 hours.  Caleb was still fussy, but he slept quite a bit during the day and then fussed again late into the night.

Then next morning they told us he had a UTI and started him on IV antibiotics and they needed to do an ultrasound on his renal system since it's really weird for a baby boy to have a UTI.  So, we had to stay even longer for that and more cultures to grow out to see exactly what type of bacteria was growing so he could get on the right antibiotic.  All the time the RSV hadn't started showing any symptoms.

Thursday they said the ultrasound came back good and Friday they would know what oral antibiotic to put him on and since he wasn't sick with RSV yet they  would send us home.

But Thursday night Caleb had to have oxygen in the evening.  He did pretty well until about 3:30 in the morning.  At that point I woke up and looked at him and started getting a bit concerned.  I held him and wouldn't go back to sleep until 7:30 when I decided he was ok.  About an hour later he crashed and was really struggling to breath.  They took him off of oxygen and put him on a machine that forces oxygen up their nose and is also connected to a vaporizer that comes out into the nose also to help open up the lungs.  They put him on 40 percent oxygen and he started doing a little bit better.  They pounded softly on his chest and back and did a deep suction and nasal suction every three hours Friday and Saturday.  Sunday he didn't need it as often.

 

Below are two videos I took.  This first one you can hear how hard he is struggling for air and you can hear the oxygen blowing.  Ignore me.  I should have just kept my mouth shut.

The second video shows how hard he was working to breath.  He's bobbing his head.  FYI: If you ever see that it is really bad. The further up from the chest you move to try to breath means you are struggling harder.  You are pretty much using every muscle you have in your upper body if you're moving your head to breath.

 

After three days on the machine, Caleb was able to come off and go straight to room air.  And 24 hours later his lungs were almost clear. (on Friday night there were parts of the lungs at times that they couldn't hear air moving.

Friday,  Bo and I wanted to take turns at the hospital while I sat with the kids in the car so he could see Caleb for a bit.  Bo decided on the way up Caleb needed a blessing and had a friend that worked nearby the hospital and he was able to meet him.  Thank you Scott.  THANK YOU to so many that helped out with meals, visits, kids, and prayers in our behalf.  And my Mom who brought me treats a couple of times and sat with Caleb for awhile so I could go home for a little while.  Thanks to Gini for taking our other boys for a few days too. 

Caleb had a quick recovery considering many babies under two months stay for a week after they get really bad.  I'm so grateful for the power of the priesthood and prayer.  I know they truly make a difference in our lives.  We are so blessed to have the gospel in our lives!

Here's a picture of him today after we got home.  He looks so much better.  We love you so much Caleb!!!

One Month Later...

It's been a month since Caleb joined our family.  I'm sure many of you have at least spent a few seconds wondering how we are doing with five (only because we got a lot of "you're crazy" comments when we told people we were having another).  Well, here's how our first month has gone.

• Bo made 3 trips to Community Care for strep throat...a 1-2 hours process (not including picking up prescriptions.) Doctors are not something he's ever had to deal with.  He of course isn't getting great sleep and has to step in more often to make sure things are taken care of.
• Hailey has been a great help and does a great job with Caleb.  But she's been a bit emotional.

• Conrad hasn't had too many issues, but has been a really big help also.  I'm sure it gets old being asked to help with this or that. He and Hailey are great about not complaining when it comes to helping with Caleb.
• Jackson has been adjusting to having less attention and in order to get the attention he wants he totally clobbers Brayden.  We were having at least five crying spells a day, but it was down to a few this week. :)  He is always saying "Caleb is SO cute."  I love it!
• Brayden is having the attention issue too.  He has been getting into everything and crying over everything too.  But, he is even so sweet and careful around him.  It's amazing how quick the kids are to love their new brother. 
• Celeste, of course has made many adjustments.  The first week and a half were rough because I was so tired and we had to go to Rexburg every day to have blood tests for Caleb's jaundice.  But since then many (many, not all) of the adjustments have been GREAT!  Believe it or not I am getting more sleep, have more energy, my brain is back, and I get to hold and cuddle our sweet Caleb whenever I want.

Caleb sleeping with the bili blanket 

Caleb is a very calm baby.  He wakes up about every two hours at night, but goes back to sleep.  He is patient and doesn't eat as often as the other kids did.  And did I mention he's so sweet :).  I could just stare at him all day long. 

Of course it hasn't been a cake walk and at times I have lost my patience. But, I wouldn't trade him for anything and neither would anybody else in the family.  We are so blessed to be able to have families!

Bo and I did a little photo shoot today.  We are far from professional, but here's some pics.  I have to say Caleb did not enjoy the shoot.  But it was worth it.

We call these the crazy eyes:)

 Caleb loves his binky.  The first of our kids that has taken one.

Lots of hair