Had a wonderful weekend!

Friday started it off with eating lunch with Rachel at school. I signed up to give her teacher a lunch break, so I went in and watched her class so her teacher didn't have to. Got to meet some of the kids Rachel always talks about. Later that night was "Spike's Spooktacular." A little carnival at their school complete with games and rides. Got each kid 24 tickets each in advance, and Brandon ended up having to buy 12 extra while there. I ran the karaoke booth for an hour. Rachel won a goldfish, and she was really excited about that, but it ended up dying. :( We'll have to go get another fish.

Saturday, we went to the Skytop Orchard (apple orchard) with my dad, Sarah, and her kids. The kids played, we went on the hayless hay ride, Brandon and Rachel went off and picked a few apples, then we bought some apples, cider, and a little pumpkin for Michaela to take to school at their store.

Sunday we went on a drive up into the mountains and drove some of the Blueridge Parkway. We stopped a couple times and hiked some trails. Both the orchard and driving in the mountains to admire the fall leaves is a tradition our family does almost every year.

Brandon got a new calling this weekend as well. He is now 2nd counselor in the Stake Sunday School presidency. It's his first stake calling.

Sometime soon I'll have to come back and write about our other fun happenings from earlier this month. :)

We live in SC now

Guess I've neglected my blog for a while now. Then, found it again recently. We moved from Raleigh last February and came to SC, and live near my parents. We've been trying to sell our house in Raleigh with no luck, and are living in an apartment while we wait.

With all the recent stress and frustrations in life, Brandon felt the girls and I needed a break from each other, so they are temporarily in public school this year. Rachel is in 4th grade, and Michaela is in 1st. They are at Brushy Creek, and I like this school soooo much better than Timber Drive in Garner, NC that Rachel went to in Kindergarten. They are educating at level and being challenged. So, if they must go, at least I'm happy with their school and teachers. :) Alyssa is home with me during the days, and we work on preschool level work together.

That's the quick update for now. I'm hoping I'll be posting more regularly in the future. :D

Been so tired!

Once again it's been a while since I've posted anything. Been super busy, too busy actually, and just can't seem to keep up with it all. So, it's definitely wearing on me and I find myself tired a lot. I should get to bed sooner at night, but I just have so much to do!

Plus, not much new with us anyway; other than the Holy Ghost keeping the girls and I from being in a car accident that would have killed Alyssa and I for sure, and maybe the other two. That was March 6th, so about a month ago now. And no! The accident would not have happened because I was tired, more from not just one, but TWO other drivers running a red light when it was supposed to be my turn in the intersection. I was prompted to not go even though my light was green, then watched as a car speed right in front me going faster than the speed limit of the road it was on. I would have made it to that part of the intersection by the time the other car went through, which would have slammed right into me and Alyssa's doors. For a second, I was in shock that someone would do that and that I wasn't in the way, then looked at the light and saw it was still green, but still felt I should stay put. Four seconds or so later, another car came through the same way as the first. I became even more in shock, but after the second car, I felt it was now ok to proceed making my left turn, but did so very timidly looking to my left to make sure all cars were stopping! And no, the second car was not a cop chasing the first. (I've been asked that before.) I find myself thinking about that day quite a bit and thankful to still be here, and that my girls are still here. I can't imagine what it would have been like for Brandon (he was at work and not with us) if he had lost all four of his girls at once that day; or lost some of us and some of us be still alive but injured.

Yesterday I noticed at gymnastics that Rachel is learning new stuff and tricks. :) Not the same old routines anymore. The girls are excited about Easter coming. (Although today Michaela said that she wants snow and Christmas. Hmmm?) Oh, Rachel got to her goal of selling 200 boxes of Girl Scout cookies so that she could earn the plush pony. Earlier this week, I let Alyssa scribble on paper with a crayon for the first time. I think we may have another leftie! I guess time will tell for sure. Michaela is left handed. We're also looking forward to conference this weekend. :)

99 Things

Saw this on Kory's blog, and thought I'd do it too. :)

Here are the rules:
Bold the things you’ve done and post on your blog!

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars (As well as the rain! All while sleeping OVER an ant hill while on a pioneer trek as a teen. Interesting story there!)
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train (Don't remember it much, I was 4. All I remember is getting on the train, and my brother being upset that he didn't get to go.)
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping (Have too much self respect to do that one!)
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice (Does a gondola at the Venician in Vegas count?)
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise (Bay cruise in San Fran, but not one of those long multi-day cruises.)
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors (Not sure, but could have)
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie (Does being on the news count?)
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies (Does helping my daughter count?)
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma (I tried but they told me not to come back b/c my veins were too small)
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been a passenger on a motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Redwoods (We've even done a drive through tree!)
82. Bought a brand new car (Actually, Brandon bought it for me)
83. Walked in Jerusalem (I was 6 or 7 when my parents went, and they left me at home in Germany. Boo!)
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year’s Eve
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (I WATCHED a turkey being killed on the pioneer trek, but didn't kill it myself)
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous (Richard G. Scott at Hill Cumorah Pageant)
92. Joined a book club
93. Got a tattoo
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

Who wants to play?

Alyssa is walking!

Yes! She is finally a walker. This kid definitely does things on HER timetable. I guess it's been a couple weeks now since she started taking her first steps. Each day she'd take a few more steps before falling down. I'd say about last Wednesday or so, she's gotten really good. Although she's still slow and falls down every now and then. Crawls at times, but she does seem to prefer the walking. My kids have started to walk at ages: Rachel, 15 months; Michaela, 11-12 months; and Alyssa, 16 months.

WTG, Alyssa! We love you. :)

New background

So, I put up a new background. :) I love changing things up for the seasons/holidays. And so many cute ones to choose from! I was originally going to put up the "Kiss me, I'm Irish" background, but when I tried it, all the little clovers in the middle made it hard to read the posts. I then settled for the one that is here now. And yes, I'm American, but since I have Irish ancestry . . . .I figured I could get away with somewhat being Irish in a way! ;)

January . . . .What a tough month it's been for Rachel

So, if you have read the post right under this one, you'll know that poor Rachel started out the month sick with some kind of bug. She was fine that whole Saturday, then boom! Started getting sick Saturday night, and the next day was supposed to be her first day in CTR 7. Luckily, she quickly got over that one.

January 9th she had her crowns put in to cover her back teeth. (She was born with a condition that causes her to have no enamel for those that didn't know. That's why her teeth look yellow.) I took her to the hospital; Brandon took the day off to stay home with the other two. They were REALLY good with her! After registering, they took us back to a pre-op area where they made her feel comfortable, play games, watch cartoons, play on a computer, DRAW ON THE SHEETS WITH MARKERS (she really liked that one since she'll NEVER be able to do that at home). They had a dog puppet named Mr. Wrinkles that they used to demonstrate what was going to happen to her. She got to decorate her gas mask with stickers (which she got to take home). They gave her necklaces and a headband to make her feel like a princess and told her "when you wake up you'll have princess crowns on your teeth." She was really enjoying it and loving being there since it was "so much fun!"

Then the time came to put her to sleep and they took her away. I went back out to the waiting area and sat, read, and ate snacks for 2.5 hours while waiting. One of the nurses came out to me first when it was done and told me how it kinda went. She said that as they were trying to wake Rachel, the first thing out of her mouth was, "This is NOT fun!" lol Big change from before. Everything went great, and once I was able to go back there and be with her, I found a Rachel that was having a hard time waking up. I went and got the car alone and pulled up by the door to the hospital, and they wheeled her out in a wheelchair and helped her in the car. She really liked the wheelchair ride!

Angel Bear they gave her at the hospital after taking her to recovery.

Rachel with the balloon Daddy and her sisters got for her, and her gas mask from the hospital complete with stickers!

On January 16th I took her to the doctor because she had been complaining about her ear hurting. They said no infection in it, may have been a little red so they gave us ear drops with anti-biotics in them to put into her infected ear to clear it up. We did this for 7 days. She said her ear was feeling better while on these, and stopped hurting for a few days altogether when we were done doing the drops. So, I was thinking we were all good and clear at this point. They also tested her for strep, which came back negative.

On January 28th she started to complain about her ear again that night, and the next morning it was really bothering her. She woke up on the 29th to find that puss had oozed out of her ear that night. So, I took her back in. This time is WAS an actual ear infection. Also checked for strep again because the doctor suspected it, and she had strep as well. So, she was given amoxacillin for 10 days to clear those up. Not sure why the ear infection and strep didn't show up on the 16th, unless she was just starting to get it at that point, and wasn't strong enough for the doctors to detect yet?

So, it's been a tough month for Rachel, and mommy and daddy! Hoping that February will be happy and healthy. :)