Diseased

A few days after we got home from Bear Lake, our little nephew, Friedrich, got chicken pox from the vaccine he had a couple weeks before. It is very rare for this to happen, and we were feeling pretty bad for the little guy. While we were on our trip, Mason's throat glands were swollen like little golf balls, but he didn't complain about a sore throat and didn't have a fever, so we didn't worry too much. (I didn't worry too much, Tim thought he might suffocate in his sleep.) Then about a week after we got back, he broke out in a little rash, too.

I figured he caught chicken pox from Friedrich. Then Brielle spiked a fever. Then I started thinking it was very strange that three kids would get a disease that they had all been immunized against. So I googled! Possibly chicken pox - probably hand, foot and mouth disease. Turns out they are very similar and neither can really be treated, so no need to get a doctor involved.

When Ava caught it, I got a little concerned. She got sores all over her body, not just in her mouth and a couple on her hands like the other two kids. She was inconsolable one minute and happy to run and play the next, like kids often are when they're sick. She didn't want to walk much and was obviously itchy and uncomfortable. She kept pointing at her spots and saying, "bug!" Since our neighbor is our pediatric physicians assistant, I ran her down there and it turns out the internet knows a thing or two about diseases. Definitely hand, foot and mouth... and that's what Friedrich must have had, too.

Once Ava started to feel a little better, Tim got a terrible sore throat and a fever and was down for a couple of days. As soon as the sores in his throat healed, they turned up all over his hands and feet. The doctor told me that it is actually a lot more painful than itchy and evidently that was the truth. Tim was on the couch for three days and said it felt like someone just shaved all the skin off his hands and feet. He couldn't even lift the lid of the toilet without severe pain in his fingertips. Otherwise he felt fine, and I thought he was going to go crazy being out of commission for almost a week.

I also thought I was going to go crazy. It is one thing to have your husband home sick and be the caretaker - I've never minded it. It is a whole other thing to be completely home-bound because the kids are still contagious. I had two awesome friends (Karalee Kidd and Nicole Watkins) bring me treats out of pity, without even hearing me complain! It was so sweet that they realized that its kind of hard taking care of a whole house of sick people while you're pregnant.

Now that Tim's sores have healed the skin is all peeling off to reveal nice, pink, baby fresh skin underneath. Meaning, his hands and feet are sore and sensitive again. It has been terrible for him and for Ava. Not being able to do anything to make it better for them is the worst. And here are some wonderful pictures to walk you through the horror.

 

Preschool 2014

Mason and Brielle both started preschool the first week of September. Technically, Mason is in a home-school kindergarten and Brielle is in a joy school. But they're both preschool around our house. I was pretty worried that I wouldn't be able to find anything for Brielle, because I wanted to do mornings and everything was full. Luckily, my mom hooked me up with some of the girls in her ward and we put a group together last minute.

They both love it. It has been really good for Mason to have more structure to his day. He is all-around calmer and happier when there is a schedule. It has been really good for Brielle, too. We were so worried that Mason wouldn't want to go in on his first day last year, and it wasn't even an issue. Same with Bri. I taught the class her first day, and it went smoothly, all the kids had fun, and Brielle was in heaven. Then when she had to go to someone else's house a couple of weeks later (she missed one week because of hand, foot and mouth disease, that story is coming) she ran right up to the door and wouldn't even turn around to say good-bye.

Mason still gives me lots of loves and an "I love you, Mom! Good-bye, Mom!" before he goes in. It's one of my favorite things. Brielle runs in without a second thought, takes her shoes off, and gets down to business. While they are gone, I have a little more one-on-one time with Ava, which I love, but she also spends a good chunk of the morning in the car, which is she does not love. 

Last week we got home from a ward party just before bedtime and while Mason was taking off his shoes he pulled this off on me...

"Um, Mommy, I got in trouble at school today." Said with a shy, kind of half-smile.

"Oh, buddy, what happened?"

"I don't want to say."

"It's OK, just tell me."

Pause

"Well, I pooped on the floor."

"What?! Why would you do that? What even made you think to do that?"

"I don't know."

"Mason, why would you poop on the floor?!"

"JUST KIDDING!"

Dude. Kid is five. We are in for it if he is already setting up his jokes like this.

Bear Lake 2014

I think the last time Tim and I spent more than one night with our kids somewhere other than our own house was when Mason was 10 months old? Maybe we did two nights at Bear Lake a couple of years ago. Either way, we are kind of still rookies at the whole vacationing with children thing. One night has always seemed like enough. More than enough.

So we planned a four day getaway to Bear Lake with my family, and then realized that four days means three nights. 

We weren't super optimistic about the sleeping part. We almost went up late to avoid one extra night. I'm glad we didn't. The kids were wonderful and adjusted really well to the different sleeping arrangements. Missed naps weren't the end of the world that they sometimes are. Everyone got along, and it was so nice to spend a few days away from home with the people that I love.

We tried out North Beach at the suggestion of some friends and it made all the difference, too. There was so much wet sand for the kids to build with and shallow, warm water to play and swim in. It was a seriously dreamy 70 degrees of sunshine. The beaches were all but abandoned because everyone else had to be back in school already. I don't think we could have asked for a better little trip to end the summer.

We started out with a hike/tour through the Minnetonka Cave. I dislike caves. I watched a documentary about spelunkers with my dad when I was a kid and watching those crazy explorers crawl through tiny caverns opened a whole new world of fear for me. It was a very cool cave and I'm glad I did it, but I think it was probably my last. Mason was a total trooper and took all 888 steps like a champ. Brielle got carried the entire way and complained that it was too cold. You win some, you lose some.

Then an afternoon at the beach, followed by another afternoon at the beach the next day. We rented a boat and everyone (except Ava and Friedrich, of course) got to go tubing. Mason went several times and laughed and laughed. Ava slept on the boat for nearly two hours. Brielle went once, kept a straight face the whole time, bawled after getting dumped in the water, and declared it her favorite part of the trip.

The ballerina

A few weeks ago, as Brielle's summer gymnastics class was winding down, I asked her if she would like to take a ballet class instead. There was no question in her mind, ballet wins over gymnastics. She told me a few days later that she was so excited to go to ballet and get up and talk in the microphone and sing. Um....ok?

I decided it would probably be a good idea to take her to watch a class and make sure it was everything she was hoping. She was so excited to go watch the ballerinas that morning, she asked me to please curl her hair and she had to wear a ballet tutu that she got from a cousin. She loved watching the class. I mean, there was a grown-up ballerina dressed as Rapunzel, does it get any better? She's been pretty excited to start.

This morning was her first class and she loved it. She's been talking about ballet ever since that class, so I was hoping it wouldn't be a let down. When we got there she quickly took off her cover-ups, changed her shoes, ran into the studio and sat in the circle next to her teacher. I followed her back and waved to her teacher who commented that Brielle knew just what to do! She didn't even hesitate. I don't think I've ever seen her so ready or confident. As we were walking out of the studio after class she told her teacher thank you, then turned to me and said, "Thank you for letting me go to bawaway, mommy." All those girls prancing around in their pink leotards with their hair pulled into a bun - and then a polite bit of sweetness to top it off! Oh can a mama's heart even take it? No. It's too much cuteness.

Here are a ton of pictures to prove it.

Since the last time I wrote

The weather has been so often cool and rainy this month that it feels like summer ended sometime in July, and we are currently enjoying Autumn. I am so excited for Fall this year. That is the first time I have ever said that in my life. It will probably be the last. It has been a wonderful summer,  but I am very pregnant, and I am ready for a wonderful Fall. And all the more concealing clothing that comes with it!

I've been terrible at taking pictures of all the fun things we've been doing. We went up the canyon with friends for foil dinners, s'mores, and bear hunts. We've gone to lots of parks and the splash pad and swimming pool. We've had play dates with new friends. We've jumped on the trampoline downstairs quite a bit when it was too hot to play outside. We drive by the lot we purchased in West Haven often. There have been BBQ's and family parties. Next week we will be going for a few days to Bear Lake to wind up the summer before school starts.

Last week we went for an overnight camp trip to Mirror Lake with Tim's parents, his brother John, and our nephews Taylor, Cole, and Cam. Ava had been sick all week, so we let her stay the night with Nana - which she loved and was actually a blessing because a brave 18-month-old and a lake wouldn't mix well. We bought little fishing poles for Mason and Brielle the week before we went and they couldn't wait to try them out.

Brielle got one fish on her line, but it got away because her mom couldn't figure out how to tighten the bale. They got to reel in a lot of fish on their cousins' lines. Mason loved that. He really just loved hanging out with his cousins and they are always so good with him. Both Mason and Brielle said that the fire was their favorite part. So easy to please! It was a great time.