Construction Widow

I have been teasing Chad lately that I am a construction widow. With the new baby coming it was time to finish a room in the basement for Claire. That meant that we had to finish the whole hallway, close off the laundry room, put in new lighting and put in a new outside door that will lock. It has been a slow process. On top of doing all of that, he has been helping our neighbor fix their bathroom that flooded. He is having a ball, and loves having projects to do. Obviously Owen thinks it's great too, and will often be found downstairs helping in some way. I'm just grateful that I have a husband who can do all of this, and I don't have to hire anyone else.

Happy Birthday Chad!

Chad's birthday was the Friday of Spring Break, so the kids and I came home a day early to celebrate with him. My parents were kind enough to give us some of their Marriott points which my dad earns by the thousands each week, so I could surprise Chad with a night away. We dropped the kids off at his parents house, and then went out to dinner at Texas Roadhouse (his favorite!), and then spent the night in Idaho Falls. I know it's not far from our house, but it is still a break. The next day he was gracious enough to go shopping with me, and get him some much needed new shoes, and a few other things. We celebrated with the kids on Sunday night where we made his favorite strawberry poke cake, and sang to him. The kids loved blowing out the candles, so Chad would keep lighting them so they could all have a turn. Grant thought it was a lot of fun, but Owen actually kept blowing out his candles. Happy 35th Birthday Chad - we love you!!

Spring Break

We spent our Spring Break visiting Grandma and Grandpa Farmer. I figured this might be our last trip for awhile with the baby coming. I'm not sure that I want to make the trip alone with 4 children, but I might change my mind this summer. The kids were so excited to get there. We left on Friday and stayed the night at our friends the Turgooses house. The next day I was going to meet my parents in Nampa to go and see Amber's all-state choir concert. As I was getting everything pulled together, my mom called and informed me that they had hit a turkey on the way down and had broken their windshield, so they weren't going to make it. Let me tell you the thought of going by myself with 3 kids just didn't sound appealing, but I had no choice. Someone had to bring Amber home. So, off we went, and with a few bribes, the kids were actually quite good. The best part was that I accidentally spilled Grant's M&M's all over the floor, and since we were sitting in the very back, and it was a concert hall with a sloped floor, well the M&M's went sliding down. I'm sure the school just loved me a ton!

We finally made it to Grandma and Grandpa's and were glad to see that they had recovered from the turkey incident. The kids had a great time all week playing with their cousins, playing outside, and of course going on our 3 or 4 four wheeler rides a day. I have never been so grateful for my dad's Big Red, which is a four wheeler, but really more like a golf cart. I don't think my body could have handled that many 4-wheeler rides a day! Grant absolutely loved being outside and seeing the cows, chickens, horses, and anything else he could find. I would often find him looking out the front widow at some animal.Claire and Owen loved playing with their cousins, and being outside. I wish we lived in a place where they could just be outside all the time! All the kids were great, and I couldn't have asked for a better trip. Plus to top it all off, my mom surprised me with a much needed pedicure because it is very hard for me to reach my own toes! Thanks for the fun time Grandma and Grandpa, hopefully we will be able to visit again soon!

Happy 6th Birthday Claire!

I can hardly believe that my little girl is 6. Time sure does fly by. She was very excited this year because she got to spend her birthday at her Grandma and Grandpa Farmer's house with her cousin Brittany. Those two girls absolutely love having one another around. I decided to make a rainbow cake, which was a little above my talent level, so I was glad that my mom was there to help out. I cooked 6 different layers and they were each a different color. It actually turned out great, and you can't tell that it is very lopsided from the picture! :-) Claire got some very practical gifts that will be great for her new room. I gave her a new lamp, Owen and Grant gave her an alarm clock, and her dad gave her a new bike helmet. She also got some clothes from Aunt Amber, new sheets and a comforter from Grandma and Grandpa, and then of course the people who made her the most happy from Uncle Roy and Aunt Cody and Uncle J.R. some toys.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Owen had learned all about how tricky leprechauns were in preschool, so I thought it would be fun to turn our breakfast green. It was actually quite funny, and really didn't look that bad. However, Claire did not think that it was funny. The girl is seriously scared of everything, so she worried all day before school that a leprechaun was going to get her. She refused to eat the green breakfast, and thought the milk was disgusting. So, I stopped after breakfast turning everything green, even though Owen thought it was a lot of fun. Maybe next year Claire will let us have a little more fun.

18 Months

I can hardly believe that my little guy is 18 months. Time sure does go by quickly. Luckily he has been pretty healthy and happy. He finally decided about a month ago that he should give walking a try. He is still a little wobblie, and will often be found crawling, but it is better than not trying at all. He does love the fact that he can keep up a little more with his siblings. However whenever we go outside, he insists on holding my hand the whole time. That can drive you crazy!!!

He weighs 22 pounds, and is starting to fit into 18 month clothes. It is so much easier to dress a boy because the shirts can be big, so luckily he is starting to be on the same season as Owen was. That is going to save me a ton of money!!

He adores his dad, and can't wait for him to come home. He loves to help him start the fire. He is a great little helper and will clean up anything you ask. I really think he just likes to put things into boxes or bins, but I like to think that he is helping.

He has started to learn how to defend himself around his brother and sister, and can often be heard yelling at them (in his own special way). He especially gets mad when they are sitting with me, and he thinks it is his own special lap. Isn't that going to be fun when the baby comes. He hates nursery, but hopefully soon will find it the greatest place on earth.

We are so grateful to have Grant in our family, and couldn't imagine a day without him. We are truly blessed!

Sick Again!

Last week was another one of those weeks where you wish you could just hide for a few hours. It started on Tuesday when I picked up Grant from my sisters house and he had a high fever. She said he had been fine all day, but after his nap, he wasn't to happy. We kept him on a regiment of Tylenol and Motrin to try and keep the fever down, hoping it was just the flu and he would be better in a couple of days. Well, even with the medicine, when he got up from his nap on Wednesday his fever was over 106. I thought it must be wrong, so I took it again, this time it was just a little under 106. So, I called the doctor, and off to quick care we went - again! Once I got him there his fever had dropped since I had given him more Tylenol, but he was so lathartic, and just slept off and on on my shoulder. The doctor came in, and I suspected another ear infection, but it wasn't that. He checked his throat, and said it looked red, but kids under 2 usually never get strep, so he kinda ruled that out. Once he couldn't find anything wrong, he left, but popped his head in a few minutes later and told me he wanted to do a strep test just in case. Well, my child is one of the few that gets strep throat under the age of 2. This time we got another antibiotic (still pink), and went home.

He had a terrible day on Thursday, but luckily Chad still isn't that busy at work that he could come home while I started my second preschool class, and take care of Grant until he went down for his nap. When he got up from his nap he just cried and cried for over an hour - I thought I was going to go crazy! I finally got him back to sleep. After dinner I had to take a time out, so I took the other kids to Costco with me for a little break. I was just hoping that by Friday he would feel better or my trip to Utah would be canceled. This was the no kids, shopping/hair trip, so I was sad because I really needed my hair done. Luckily by Friday morning he was just whinny so when my babysitter came he was asleep and she said he was great all afternoon. I was so happy to get away for just one night. I am so grateful that everyone is feeling well again, and here's hoping that warm weather will come our way so we can kill all these germs!

Swimming

One Saturday Chad's sister Kerry called, and asked if I wanted to go swimming with them. Since we didn't have any plans, and Chad was going to help our neighbors all afternoon, I decided why not. Chad took Grant with him and gave him a nap there, and off we went. Claire and Owen were very excited. Owen decided once we got there that he wouldn't swim, but once he saw his Aunt Shanna and Uncle Trevor in the water, he changed his mind. We had a great time. The kids played for hours, and didn't want to leave. I had to bribe them with ice cream to get out. They were very tired once we got home, but I am so proud of them. My kids are just chicken, so its good to know there is one thing they aren't afraid to do.

Kindergarten Program

Claire had her Kindergarten program the other day, and she was soooo excited. They actually were supposed to have it at the beginning of February, but all the kids were getting sick, so they postponed it a month. Lets just say that she was very ready for it. I was a little nervous because last year during the primary program, she wouldn't do anything, but she did a wonderful job. She knew all the songs and actions, and smiled the whole time. I was very proud of her. Yes, I cried. I know I'm such a mom! She was so happy that her Grandma and Grandpa Clayson came. I think she was most excited that her dad was there. I just can't believe how quickly she has grow up.