Tomorrow We'll Go To The Fair!

Saturday we made our way up to Monroe to the Evergreen State Fair. This has become a yearly tradition to jump start Taylee's Birthday. She turns 4 tomorrow, I can't believe it! It was a hot day, which made it a little bit miserable, but it was so fun. The kids were old enough this year to enjoy all the rides, and I think the money we spent on them was actually worth it. Jake, Whit, and Jessi went on all of the big rides. Jake almost threw up once, but after laying down in one of the Air-Conditioned buildings, he was good to go. We ate lots of fair food, and soaked up all the sun I can stand in one day. Thanks for the great day Grandma and Grandpa Klein!



The carousel, and petting zoo were the biggest hits.



I was quite shocked when Taylee reached out to pet the baby pig. She is usually a little chicken when it comes to animals.

This is for you, Nat Scratch!

Natali said that I better post a video, or else!!!! Those of you that know my sister, know she can be quite scarey, so here ya go. These aren't the best videos, but they are all I have at the moment. The first one is exercise time with Whitney, and the second, is just kind of silly. Enjoy!

Life, Life, Life

There's not much going in our household lately. Just life, I guess. Our car broke, job is stressful, cleaning needs to be done, ya know. . . . just life. I did realize that I had some pictures in my camera, so I thought I would post them, instead of just let them waste space.

Here's Rohne helping the boys (or really, just Grandpa) fix the car.

Taylee finds the funniest dress-up clothes. She's already wishing for snow!

We have a big apple tree in our front yard. I'm not sure what kind of an apple it grows, and they probably need at least another month of ripening, but the kids couldn't wait. They are pretty bitter still, but will make some good cobbler tonight. It was so pretty, I just had to make this a photo moment.

"How did it get such a big stem?"

Very proud of their pickings.

Our bags are full now, Mom, let's get baking!

Cute guy, looks just like Jake in this picture!

Arent' the colors so pretty?

A Great One!

So, all you girls out there who have not seen this movie, have your husband watch the kids, grab a girlyfriend, and go, go, go!! It was so awesome!! Whit and I went last night, and it is by far my favorite movie right now. In fact, it's hard for me to sit here, and not rush out to see it again. We were so giddy the whole time, laughing, crying, and wanting to dance along with the "Dancing Queen." I am sooo going to download all the ABBA songs and put them on my Ipod now. What a great a motivation to get out there and run my socks off. Amanda Seyfried is the main actress, along with Meryl Streep, and they were both wonderful. And, what movie can go wrong with James Bond, and Mr. Darcy. Whoever knew they could sing? Somebody please tell me they've seen it too, and love it just as much as I do. And, if not, record the Olympics, get off the couch, and drive to the Theater!

What a Wacky Weekend!

So, it's weekends like this when I realize how happy I am that I only have 2 children. It all started early Saturday morning around 4:00 a.m. Rohne and Tay have both had colds, but that night, Rohne's cough seemed extra bad. He woke up whimpering, and I went in to comfort him, only to find him gasping for breath. His face was a little shocked, eyes wide, and he could barely talk. I sat him up, and tried to get him to cough. He did a little, and seemed to get a deeper breath. I then sat up with him in the chair, and turned the humidifier right on him, thinking he probably had a little croup. Well, this seemed to calm him down a little, but he was still wheezing, breathing very fast and shallow, and struggling. I took him into our bedroom, and woke up Jake while I called the Nurse Hotline. She listened to him on the phone, and said we should probably take him to the ER. I kind of wanted to wait until the Clinic opened at 8:30, but it was pretty evident that we shouldn't wait that long. We got to the ER about 6:30 a.m., and after a breathing treatment, blood work, chest X-Ray, and an IV put in just in case he had to stay, we left around noon. His white counts were good, and they decided it was a viral pneumonia. Anyways, he's still not breathing normally, but it's getting better, and we just need to re-check him tomorrow at the Pediatrician's office.

Now, onto Taylee, and fast forward to Sunday. We had decided not to take the kids to church, because they were both sick, although Tay was definitely on the mend. Jake was ready to walk out the door at 8:50 am, when Tay started freaking out because she wanted to go too. I hurriedly got her ready, and they headed out, with me planning on going the 3rd hour to Young Women's because I had to teach. After church, we all took much needed naps, while I prepared to attend a Youth Fireside in the evening. Tay wouldn't eat anything all day, and was acting really whiney. As I left for the fireside, I thought I should probably take her temp., but I didn't. When I walked in the door tonight, Jake was telling the kids a story, and informed me that she had a fever of 101.6, and was complaining about her ears. I had thought earlier that day she might have an ear infection. So, both kids to the Dr. tomorrow, I hope they can squeeze us in. The Princess was having a hard time winding down for bed, and I knew that the Motrin hadn't kicked in quite yet, so I let her watch Darby O'Gill and the Little People (a movie I checked out from the library, because I loved it as a kid, and now is one of their favorites) on our bed with Jake. About a half hour later, Jake comes out holding a little pink shoe on some tweezers. He then informed me he had just pulled it out of Taylee's nose, and it was in there quite deep. Great!! Another Natali. My little sister was infamous for sticking stuff up her nose when she was a little girl. Why oh Why?

One more funny note. As I put Rohne back in his bed for the 10th time tonight, I told him I would give him one more chance. If he got out again, I would. . . . "Turn me into a goon!", he exclaimed. This is a reference from Little Bunny Foo Foo, a favorite song in our fam. I was going to say shut the door, but whatever works!

Family Fun in Idaho

This past week, we drove to Idaho. The main reason was because my brother Bryan, and his lovely wife, Mary, got sealed in the Idaho Falls Temple. They have been married for a few years, and are expecting their first baby in March. It was such a happy occasion, and I loved sharing this experience with them. There were a few mishaps, including Mary almost wretching during the endowment session, (did you know they keep crackers and juice on hand just for this reason?) my sister-in-law, Heidi, also pregnant, almost fainting. . . but it was so wonderful. We are all so proud of them.

The group listening to Ben's directions on how to hunt a dragon, and playing a good old-fashined game of tackle.

We stayed at my sister, Holly's house. Along with 8 kids, and 8 adults, that is. Yes, it was crowded, and chaotic, but who could ask for more? My Grammie, and Aunt and Uncle stayed at Bryan's house, which lightened the load, and we all ate at the church one night, which also helped. The kids really enjoyed each other, and were hardly ever bored.

My mom reading to the kids. She is such a good Grandma. This is all of the kids, except Joshy, aka Mr. Grouchy Pants.

We did have a few developments, mainly because of me, which isn't unusual. I absentmindedly forgot Rohne's shot at home. When I realized this, I frantically called his Hematologist. He told me it wouldn't be a problem as long as he stays away from big groups of people, and anyone that is sick, or has been sick. Um. . . this was impossible to do. So, Jake's mom, Sharon, came to the rescue and actually over nighted the medicine to us. I could have gotten it at the hospital there, but my insurance wouldn't cover it, and it would have been like $700. First crisis averted. Along comes Crisis #2. All the kids had been playing downstairs, when Rohne comes walking up with red stuff around his mouth, and on his shirt. I asked him what he had been up to, and he joyfully showed me the cough medicine he had thoroughly enjoyed chugging. I freaked out, once again, and called my Pediatrician, and Poison Control. This was a time when I was glad he is such a big boy. Because of his weight, they amount he drank wasn't really going to hurt him. They told me to just watch him, especially if he falls asleep. He wouldn't go to sleep, but walked around acting pretty drunk for awhile. His eyes were dilated, and wide, he staggered a lot, and could not get the words out he tried to say. Looking back on it now, it was a little funny.

Edward and Bella wannabes, and Whitney, so excited to dig in.

Yes, Whitney dragged me to the Breaking Dawn Launch Party at Barnes & Noble. It was pretty crazy. The average age was probably 15, but there were also quite a few older ones like us. It was a little crazy with all the screaming and cheering.

Zacky and Tay watching a movie, and Grandma once again, reading to the kids.

It was a nice 80-90 degrees every day we were there, so the kids had a great time in the pool, playing outside, and jumping on the trampoline. Thank you for letting us invade your house, Holly, we loved it!

Last of all, let me just say, that my youngest nephew, Cameron, is probably one of the cutest little babies on the planet right now. He is so smiley, and happy. I cuddled him, kissed him, and tried to keep myself from just eating him right up!!! Gosh, he is cute!!! It was so fun to get to know him.

Back to Reality

We have been back from Idaho since Wednesday, but I just HAD to finish this book. Now it's done, I can get back to reality. Idaho pics to come shortly. So, what did everyone else think about the book? I have mixed feelings.