Ups and downs

We had an interesting past couple of weeks, to say the least. Last week started out fun. We visited grandma and grandpa. Dylan got to wear this amazing outfit that my great-grandma made for my grandpa. It is so neat that we have 4 generations wearing this outfit and it's still going strong! The legs were a little short, but other than that it was great! What a handsome little guy! Ricky was gone all week, so I thought it would be a long week. We did fine until Thursday. I started to get a cold, so I didn't feel so great. It didn't seem that bad until Friday morning really early when I woke up with the chills and then got sick. I called my mother-in-law (who is a nurse), and she suggested that I got to the doctor. Luckily, we have a great ward and someone came over to pick up the kids for me. (Thanks again Kelly!) I went to the doctor and couldn't even sit up long enough to get the results of the test. I ended up having the Swine flu. Yuck. I didn't get a really high fever, so I must have caught it early. They gave me a prescription for Tamiflu, which only shortens the length of the symptoms for a day or two. Ricky came home that evening and kept the kids away from me, so they wouldn't get sick, too! I guess we got lucky that it was only me that got sick this time and Ricky took a week of vacation before we knew I was going to get sick. It was not fun and a very long week. I missed the primary program, which I was bummed about. I guess you can't control everything. Since we have been entertaining ourselves at home, the kids have been having a blast. Dylan's newest funtime is building forts out of the couch pillows. I love having a play couch! He even does a great job of sharing with his little sis!

We tried to get outside to enjoy the beautiful weather we had this week. Too bad I was sick and couldn't go much farther than the backyard. The kids still had fun! I enjoyed snapping a few shots of them playing.

And then the rain came! I got this umbrella at a garage sale for 50 cents, and Dylan loves it! He wants to take it everywhere, so I let him go play in the rain! Too funny!

So, I think things are starting to get back to normal around here. I am feeling a ton better and Ricky has a couple more days off of work! Yeah! Hopefully things will stay good around here for a while!

Feast and Festival

We have had a busy weekend! On Saturday, we went to the Annual Feast of the Hunter's Moon. It was great, as always, and the food was terrific! It would have been better if it wasn't so muddy and Lauren would have sat in her backpack carrier. Girls! She screamed and cried every time we tried to put her in there! Good thing my dad was here to help us out! He loves the Feast, so we got him a ticket for his birthday. I think we only took one picture, but it's on my dad's camera, so I'll have to add it later. Sorry! After the feast, we all came home and crashed. Well, Lauren, Dylan and I did. Poor Ricky had to go to work.

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On Sunday night, we went to my parent's house to spend the night. Ricky had to go to another training session in Chicago this week, so we thought we would enjoy spending time with family. We got to play cards and just relax which was very nice. Then on Monday morning, we went to the Covered Bridge Festival in Mansfield, IN. I used to love going with my mom and my sister, but this year was a bit more eventful! First off, when we got there Dylan had drank all of his juice, so he had to pee every 15 mins. It wouldn't be so bad if they had a lot of bathrooms and there weren't long lines for everyone! I would have had him just go behind a tree, but there were people EVERYWHERE! Then we all met up to walk around together and Dylan burnt his hand on some stupid ladies space heater. She had it sitting right next to the kids toys and he just accidental touched it. The lady just looked at me and said, "he just touched that." And that's all she said. No "Is he ok?" "Can I help you out in any way?" Nothing. I was very upset. My sister ran and got some ice for him and luckily I had some infant Tylenol to give him. He said he wanted some pizza, and then we could go see the doctor. He screamed and cried for the next hour as we went to see the paramedics to make sure it wasn't that serious. He had blisters down his thumb and first finger. Poor little guy. She wrapped his hand up and gave him a sticker, so he settled down. Then he had to pee again! This time, we just went behind a dumpster. I was sick of waiting in a long line with a screaming, crying kid. After he went to the bathroom and finished his pizza, he fell asleep in the stroller. So, mom and I had to take turns holding Lauren for the afternoon. I didn't get to do much shopping due to all the fun events that took place. Let's just say that next year I will be going without any kids!

Enjoying the weather

It is beautiful outside today! Dylan is not taking naps very well, so I just let him stay up and hang out with me while Lauren is sleeping. It has been great fun and he enjoys the one on one time. Today we went outside to enjoy the weather. I felt motivated, so I weeded the flower bed and the side of the house. Dylan put his little Diego gloves on to help me. He is such a great helper. Then, we went to the back yard to play. We found this cool little caterpillar. Dylan was so cute playing with it! He let it crawl all over him. I remembered to get the camera out this time, so you get to enjoy it too!Last night we went to Indy to celebrate my dad's birthday. My sister and I made dinner (with the help of our husbands) while grandma and grandpa played with the kids. We had a great time visiting with everyone. Lauren especially enjoyed grandpa because he gave her chocolate cake. She was so adorable eating it. She had a spoon in one hand and was using the other hand to shovel the cake into her mouth. I guess she follows her grandpa and love chocolate cake!

Yesterday, we got the privilege of watching General Conference at home. Comcast decided to broadcast it for everyone. Yeah! It was really nice to be able to pause it to help the kids. I got a lot out of it and enjoyed learning about how to become a better person. Dylan got worn out by the time the second session started and I found him like this on the couch! Too funny! I guess he does still need naps some days! I need to go figure out what to make for dinner tonight. I always seem to have trouble with that. I try to plan, but it never works out for me. I think I will make a 15 day dinner menu and make sure I have all the ingredients to make everything. That way, I can choose one of the 15 to make and not have to worry about missing something. Wish me luck!

Teaching

I got the joy and privileged of teaching Joy School this week. I told Ricky after Wednesday that I really do not want to be a teacher. I am just not cut out for it! I had fun planning it and having it, I just really could not see myself doing this more than once every five weeks! I guess it was just different than anything I could have imagined. Dylan absolutely loves school! He talks about it all the time! I am so glad that I have such wonderful friends that want to share this experience with us!
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I think I am getting lazier these days. I haven't taken any pictures since my last post, and that was almost 2 weeks ago! We have been keeping busy, but not with anything fun. I should just take random pictures of the kids like I used to. Maybe when Lauren wakes up, I will!
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Ricky is taking a week of vacation in October. I am excited, but we aren't even doing anything! He still has school, so we can't exactly go anywhere far. I have a few fun trips I am planning for the family that should be fun! Maybe I'll have to get some paint and do another room in our house! Ricky will love me for this one! I just get tired of having tan walls in every room! I think the computer room would look good in lime green and black. What do you think?
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We took a family trip to the dentist today. Dylan did great! It worked out nice having all of us there at the same time. Lauren only has 2 more years until she gets to join in on the fun! Glad to report, no cavities or problems! Yeah! After the dentist, we ventured over to the mall. I had a coupon for $5 of any purchase at Old Navy, so I figured I should use it! I didn't find anything that great, so I just got some socks for Dylan. He needed them anyway! Then we ran into some friends and walked around with them for a while. We let the kiddos play at the play place and we got to chat. How fun! Both kids ended up falling asleep on the way home. I guess they got worn out! Good for me!

September catch up

Where, oh where has September gone? I cannot believe that it's the end of September already! I guess this month has just been busy. I don't even know where to begin! I guess that having a set schedule with Dylan's school keeps us on our toes more often.
I joined MOPS with one of my friends this year. I absolutely love it and enjoy learning and discussing with other moms. The kids are doing great in the daycare while we have our class. Dylan loves to play the games and do crafts, and Lauren was the only 1-2 year old who wasn't crying when I got there to pick her up! I bet the Friday night date swap that we started is paying off in more ways than one! We are really enjoying having date nights 2 out of 3 Friday nights. Even though we usually don't have anything planned, we really enjoy getting away from the kiddos for an evening alone!
Last weekend, we ventured to Chicago. Ricky took a day of vacation and we had a blast! We went to the temple and then to the beach! Lauren fell asleep in the car, so I took Dylan to the water while we were waiting on the pizza to get ready! I love Chicago style deep dish pizza! We ended our day by eating pizza in the car while driving through traffic. It was a nice day as a family!

Ricky started back in school this semester. It has been going very well. He has class during his lunch break, so we don't get to see him as often during the day. I'm glad that he is one step closer to graduating! He is also keeping busy with work. They are doing well right now, so no complains here!

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I have been keeping busy with everyone's schedule. I've had a lot of church activities this month that have been great. I am trying to keep up with my busy kids! I am teaching Joy School next week, so I need to get things in order for that! I think it will be great to see how well the children do at school!
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Dylan is getting smarter every day! I love seeing him learn! He makes up his own stories and they are amazing! I love his imagination. He can keep himself busy for hours! He got stung by a bee for the first time this week. He cried a lot, but was better in about an hour. I can't sympathize because I've never been stung by anything. Potty training is going great! The only accidents he has are when he doesn't lean far enough and it goes down his leg. Silly boys! He has even been staying dry at night! Yeah! He does wake up early in the morning to go potty, but he goes back to sleep until 8! We are working on his picky eating habits. He is required to try a bite of everything, even veggies. It has been going well for the most part. I still think that it is a texture issue.
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Lauren is still doing the same. She eats so much better than Dylan does! She loves corn and fruits (which is such a surprise to me since Dylan won't eat fruits and veggies!). She also drinks a ton! I am always filling her cup up for her. She isn't walking yet, but still gets around by army crawling. I guess she thinks it's the fastest way to go! She will crawl on her hands and knees if she is on the grass outside. Silly girl! She can pull herself up and turns around so only her back is touching the couch. She will stand there for a while and bend over to get toys. I think she is just lazy and doesn't care to walk. She also has such the little girl attitude! When she doesn't get her way, she will cry with real tears until you look at her. Then she will stop crying and turn her head to the side and groan at you. If you look away, she will start crying again. I guess I have my hands full with this one!