Getting to sleep

I'm tired.  I had a 3 hour nap today (thanks to susan) and it feels great.  I last wrote about all the things going on and the big kids being sick.  Will had to go on antibiotics after fighting his cold for almost 2 weeks.  Then Caroline started coughing and coughing and coughing.  ALL NIGHT LONG.  After 2 nights of trying everything to help her stop coughing (ask dad, I called him a lot) I needed sleep.  So a week after taking Will to the doctor I was back again with Caroline.  I got cough medicine with codeine for her and after 3 more nights the coughing stopped.  Finally!  The day Susan got here was the first night she didn't cough.  

But having Susan here is wonderful!!  Here are some recent pictures.

Will rock climbing at REI.  THis is the highest he has ever gotten.  He stopped because he said his arms got tired!

All our snow melted and then we got more!  Lots more.

Happiness!

This is what Caroline chose to wear to school when they got to not wear uniforms.  It wasn't mismatch day either!

My sweeties!

Hanging with Aunt Susan watching C and W play in the snow.

The kids are finally all feeling better and sleeping better too.  Here's to no more colds this winter!

Many Blessings

I just thought I would take a minute and share some of the amazing blessings since Justin has been gone that are happening in my life.  For the most part my kids are doing great.  They play so well together (most of the time) and really have lots of fun.  Technology is wonderful and we get to video chat with Justin almost everyday!! There is a lady from church that comes every Monday night so I can continue to go to bible study. Caroline's teacher sent dinner home with her last week.  A friend found a family that lives in our neighborhood that also attends the same school as Caroline and was willing to come and pick her up every morning and take her to school for me.  Huge deal for me since it is hard to get breakfast, lunch made, and everyone dressed and out the door by 8 am.  Another friend went grocery shopping for me one week.  And during all the snow storms we have had several of my neighbors have shoveled or blown off my driveway and sidewalk.  Plus I have family or friends coming to stay/help every month through May so far.  I have had lots of phone calls to other military spouses that also have husbands deployed even though we are all spread out.  One is in NC, CO, TX, and me in MI!  We all knew each other from living together at Fort Polk.  All our husbands are together but I wish it was us getting to be together and not them!  I'm sure there are more that I can't think of right now but all this help has been great.  

I volunteered to be "cookie mom" this year.  Have a cookie!

Eric is such a happy baby and lights up for Caroline and Will.  Plus he is a GREAT night time sleeper.

Going to a valentine daddy/daughter dance with a friend.  Complete with hair and nails done!

Holding Eric while he was sleeping.  He has gotten so long.

I think they look like twins in this picture because of the camera angle.

Having tea with Miles.

Dressed to go outside today.  It was chilly but sunny!

Thanks to all of you for supporting our family!  I sure do feel very loved!!

I'm mmmeeellllting!

Outside reminds me of the scene in the Wizard of Oz when the wicked witch is melting.  The temperature is FINALLY above freezing!!  The foot or more of snow that is on the ground is finally starting to melt.  And I can't wait for spring!!  This week has been one of "those" weeks.  In the wee hours of last Sunday morning Will came in my room crying, he had a fever and felt bad.  He has been sick all week.  He had a fever Sunday and then again on Friday night.  Otherwise coughing and a runny nose.  But last night he started crying telling me he was tired of being sick and feeling bad.  Poor fella, I wish I could make him feel better.

Wednesday night Caroline's school was having a cake auction to raise money for the school.  Caroline and I made a cake and went to the school around 520.  We had cake number 8 and the auction started at 6.  I'm not very good at being at events like this because the kids running around and the lack of parents parenting drive me CRAZY!!  Why would you let your kids run around a gym full of cakes and more walking in the door every minute?  It is a big pet peeve of mine.  The auction started and the only cake out of about 60 that the kids wanted was......ours!  I was glad ours was near the beginning.  BUt then they started taking cakes from other tables!  I finally get ours in the cue to be bid on and the kid holding it drops it!  It landed on its bottom thank goodness.  But it did break.  Our turn and I start bidding only to have a 3rd grader match my every bid.  I know this girl (she goes to our church) and I hate to say this but this kid and I just don't get along.  The auctioneer finally calls it for me and the girls moom comes running up from the back saying she was still bidding and was going to go up to $60!  So the reopen the bidding and then the girl decides she doesn't want it any more!!  Why any kid was allowed to bid without a parent sitting next to them I'll never know.  But I get the cake and we leave.  I paid (didn't even want to get my change) and got out of there with just a smidge of sanity left.  I WILL NOT go to a school event again.  I would rather just give some money and save my self some headache.  Justin can go next year!!

Caroline was up coughing most of Thursday night and then she had a daddy/daughter dance Friday night with her Girl Scouts.  She was one tired girl.  Then 2:30 Saturday morning Caroline is crying in the bathroom.  She is shaking so bad from a fever that she can't get the toilet paper off the roll!  So now I battle a cough that is bad only when she lays down and 2 sick tired kids.

The sunny warmer weather helps and I am going to take Will to the doctor tomorrow.  But here are some pictures from our week.

Her "Peace of winter" cake.

Cave the kids play in at the neighbors house.

It is a big pile of snow.

Sticking tongues out at each other!

He loves smiling at his sister.

This week HAS got to be better!!

Lots of snow

This past Saturday the forecast called for a 50% chance of snow with accumulation around 1 inch.  They were a little off!  It started snowing at 1pm and was the most beautiful snow ever!  It was falling so fast and just straight down (no wind).  Below is a picture taken at 1:15.

And this is what it looked like 5 hours later!  5 more inches of snow on top of the 8 we had last wednesday!

3 months old

Eric turned 3 months old yesterday!!  He is such fun and is a great baby.  So these days he smiles a lot, makes all kind of little talking noises, laughs when I undress him, and LOVES for Caroline to sing to him.  Doesn't really matter what she sings but he seems to prefer the songs she just makes up over actual songs.  It is so cute and comes in really handy when I need to get something done she can entertain him for what seems like a long time.

Leaving the hospital

1 month

2 months

3 months

Eric is fast becoming a mama's boy.  Who didn't see that coming!!  I don't mind it at all.  I love to cuddle with my sweet baby!

Snow Day

We were supposed to get a huge blizzard last Tuesday night Wednesday morning.  Well we did get snow but not close to the 15 inches they were calling for.  We got about 8 all told by late Wednesday afternoon.  The sun came out and Will enjoyed some time outside.  The series of pictures is Will trying to sled down the mound of snow at the end of our driveway.

Had to add a picture of his special buddy!

My protection plan

So Karen sent me this link to a car commercial the other day.  Will and Caroline both love it and would watch it on a continuous loop if it would do that!  Will also got a gift card in the mail the day before from our dentists office for wining the no cavity drawing in December.  After seeing this video clip he knew exactly what he wanted!  Here is the commercial and then a picture of what he spent his gift card on.

One month done!

The days keep moving on and I made it to February!  Here are some pictures from the last couple of weeks.  I finally synced my phone and got the pictures off it.  I have been taking lots of pictures and sending them to Justin almost of a daily basis.

Eric finding his thumb

Sanded and painted the half bath

my dishes helpers

Happy after his bath!  He was smiling at Caroline

He wants to sit up all the time

Caroline reading to Will

Queen Amidala (Star Wars)

Brothers!

Cuddling with Miles today

How you read stories and feed a sleepy baby at the same time