Sunday, February 20, 2011

Joy of Love, Day 20: When they are home. (I'm glad this class isn't a college course because I would be failing miserably by now!) When everyone is home, the house has such a different energy. There is more laughter and a more relaxed feeling all around. But, with Abby feeling under the weather and Mckenzie on the mend, the house feels kind of empty. Abby wanted to play some, but I found her spending more time on the couch than normal. She is running a fever and coughing still. I hope she feels better tomorrow. Mckenzie is starting to get back to her spunky little self, but she has a ways to go. Poor kid doesn't like her medicine and I have to threaten to take away her pacifier to get her to take it or sneak it into her mouth when she isn't looking. I'm just glad she hasn't decided to spit it back at me yet! We skyped with Scott today. He is doing good. I had to do some grocery shopping today and I am so thankful for online shopping. It was the easiest grocery trip ever. Less than 45 minutes from pickup to put away. It was a very easy process and the customer service was exceptional. I even got flowers for being a new customer! Both girls went to bed pretty easily tonight. I am so thankful for that. I could really use a good night's rest myself.

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Joy of Love, day 19: I think the topic for today was what is different when they are gone. Well, I haven't taken a picture yet, but there are so many things that are different when Scott is away. The house is a little cleaner(overall), the laundry a little more wrinkled, the dishes spend more time in the sink, the dog sleeps in the bed and the kids eat in front of the tv and cold cereal is ok for dinner! I will take my picture soon. I promise...
The power was off (because of the strong winds we have been having) when we woke up this morning and Abby went from room to room checking all the lights to see if any one of them worked. After each switch that didn't turn on, she would let me know it didn't work. Then she started listing everything else that wouldn't work. It was really cute to see her thinking through it all. Mckenzie is on the mend. She is still easily tired and sleeps more than normal (although, she is fighting going to sleep now).  When the power came back on, I made the girls pancakes and managed to drop the carton of eggs on the floor as I was putting them away. Lovely mess to clean up while listening to Abby tell me I need to be more careful and reminding me that I am going to have to mop the floor now. We spent the entire day in the house and kept it all low key. Books, water paints, stamps. Abby has been coughing quite a bit today and told me she was chilled. I checked her temp and she is running a low grade fever. We will see what comes of this. Hopefully it is nothing. I tried to get some cleaning done around here. I managed to get the first floor done before dropping my phone into the mop water. I had finished mopping and Abby asked me to play piano for her instead of vacuuming the floor. I said sure (had to twist my arm on that one) and she handed me my phone since she had been playing with it. I put it on the piano behind a picture and forgot about it. Later when I went back to dust, I grabbed the picture and my phone went flying right into the bucket of water. So, it is sitting in a bag of rice right now which will hopefully dry it out. I tried to shut it down, but it wouldn't even do that. Abby told me I shouldn't drop my phone into the water and I needed to be more careful with my stuff! I feel so lost without my phone. That is the only number I ever give as contact information and I don't store my numbers anywhere else. What a week! I'm hoping next week is better :-) I'm know I am complaining a lot and I know I shouldn't. There are lots of people out there that are dealing with issues that are more serious than anything we have going on. I just needed to vent...

Friday, February 18, 2011

Mckenzie's fever broke last night! She is still feeling kind of rough. I didn't even make her change out of her pj's to drop Abby at school. One of the other moms let Abby stand in line with them so I didn't have to stay there with Mckenzie. I was very thankful for that. I called the CVS to see if I could use the drive-thru to get some Children's Motrin. They said sure. I am so glad I didn't have to bring Mckenzie into the store. I don't want to run out and have to beg someone to go buy some for me again. Mckenzie and I came home and hung out on the couch. She wasn't in the mood to do a whole lot so we looked at books and watched some tv. Abby had a great day at school and wanted to play with her friends after class. She wasn't happy with me at all when I said we couldn't play with anyone today and she walked ahead of me to the car and didn't talk to me on the way home. I feel bad that she has had to give up so much this week. We skyped with Scott today. He played in another poker tournament and took third place. I am glad there is something for him when he isn't working. It was nice chatting, although neither one of us had much to say.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Alright. I didn't take a joy of love photo today or yesterday. Mckenzie hasn't been feeling well and she has been needing a lot of extra attention the last couple of days. She has been running a 103/104 temp since Monday and this morning she told me her ears hurt. I had already decided last night to call for a sick appointment at the clinic today since the Motrin/Tylenol combo hasn't brought her fever down as much as I would have liked and she hadn't been eating like she should and was looking miserable. . So, I set my alarm so I could call in right away when the desk opened (not that I needed to since Mckenzie had been awake since 4am, crying and coughing and looking just miserable) only to be told there were no sick appointments available and I was more than welcome to use the after hours clinic that opens at 5pm. I couldn't believe it. What kind of clinic doesn't have sick appointments available at 645 in the morning when that is the earliest you can call? Anyway, the receptionist asked if I would like a nurse to call me to offer advice. I said sure, not caring one way or the other since I knew I was doing exactly what she needed. Turns out it was a good thing I had her call me since I got an appointment for Mckenzie when I told her what was going on. I don't understand how the clinic on base works, but it doesn't seem to be that efficient if you ask me. Anyway, we spent the day inside even though it was gorgeous outside and all Abby wanted to do was run around out there. But, the backyard is still a muddy mess and I am not comfortable with her alone in the front yard. I did let Abby blow some steam off in the front yard yesterday while Mckenzie and I watched her from inside, but that really upset Mckenzie and I couldn't do that to her two days in a row. Besides, she never left the couch today and never wanted to be alone, even when I would just go into the kitchen for a couple of minutes. Finally got to the doc late this afternoon to find out she has a bad ear infection and pneumonia. My poor little baby. I hate seeing her so sick. I can't wait for the antibiotics to kick in because she is just miserable. Her fever is still high and all I could give her was the Tylenol because it was too early for the Motrin and it only brought it down a little and did nothing for her ear pain. I remembered I still have some Tylenol #3 leftover from her surgery that I think I will give her the next time she is due for Tylenol. She sleeps for a little bit, then she is up coughing or crying because her ear hurts. I think it hurts so much she doesn't want to suck her paci. She is just holding it in her little hands every time I go in there. When I told Mckenzie it was time for bed and she needed her rest because she was sick, she nestled her head into my shoulder and said "no sick. me want happy" I wish I could make her happy :(

As for Abby, she was super excited to have her friend pick her up for school yesterday. It was nice not to have to take Mckenzie out in the morning. I think the last time I saw Abby so excited for school and so compliant with the morning routine was the first day of school! It made my morning easy! Well, as far as Abby was concerned. I did pick Abby up from school, but one of the other moms brought her to the car for me so I didn't have to get Mckenzie out of the car and bring her into the school. A couple of moms picked up a few things I needed at the store which really helped me out. Who knew I would need so many Kleenex and that Mckenzie would only want to drink orange juice! Abby told me she had a great day at school and begged me to let her play outside. She said her teacher told her they needed to spend hours outside playing since it was finally nice! I let her blow a few bubbles and ride bike for a bit while Mckenzie and I watched from inside. I went out for a bit with Abby, but I went in when Mckenzie started crying because she was alone. Abby has been great these last few days. She has missed church and gymnastics and play dates we had set up with friends and she has been great about it. No whining/crying or acting out in anyway because she isn't able to do what she normally is. She has mentioned that she wished Scott was home so that she could play which breaks my heart. I found her playing with daddy in her room yesterday. She had her Daddy doll sitting out and he was playing cars with her. Apparently he decided whether or not the cars could watch a movie. She had all her cars and trains lined up on her bed facing the window which I guess was supposed to be the movie screen. Very sweet. I am hoping Abby doesn't get sick as well, although I heard her coughing a bit today. No fever yet so my fingers are crossed!
I think I snapped a few photos yesterday of Abby playing outside. I can't remember, but if I did, I will post them tomorrow :)

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Joy of Love, day 15: Kisses. Ok. I am going to recycle an old photo again today. With all the sick germs floating around this house, there is no way anyone is kissing anyone else! Well, maybe the dog, but she stinks. So, these photos were taken the day that Scott deployed. I couldn't choose which one to post, so I am posting both. Looking at these photos makes me happy and sad at the same time.



Today was a long day. Mckenzie was coughing last night and ended up in my bed. Abby ended up there too because she was scared. I know she was scared last night because she bolted into my room. If she is just using the scared excuse to sleep in my bed, she has a little smile on her face as she is saying it. Last night, she just jumped into bed. Poor little girl. Needless to say, I don't think anyone got a good nights sleep. Mckenzie has been running a fever all day long. It drops down to 99 or 100 with Motrin and then she starts playing like she feels great! One time today, she was coughing so hard that she threw up. Abby was a great helper and got a change of clothes for M without even whining about it. She did a lot of whining today. They both did. Understandable since M isn't feeling well and Abby just wanted to play with her friends. A friend dropped by a movie the girls hadn't seen and Abby watched that during Mckenzie's nap, twice. She loves My Little Pony and this was one that she hadn't seen. We have the book and she really enjoys reading it. We skyped with Scott today. Mckenzie woke up in time to visit a little bit, but she was a bit cranky and not in the mood to do a lot of chatting. I gave the girls an early bath because they were restless and didn't want to do anymore play doh or water paints and they were starting to argue over every toy. Mckenzie was hand feeding Dakota lunch today and when she got bored with that, she dropped the remaining food in the living room for the dog to eat. At least it gave me the motivation to get the floors vacuumed for the day. I had already done laundry and folded it (yes Scott, I really did fold it right after it came out of the dryer) and even ironed the sheets. Mckenzie didn't eat much dinner, but as soon as it was time for bed, she decided she was hungry. Imagine that. Nothing a little yogurt couldn't fix! I ended up putting Mckenzie to bed in my room. She wouldn't settle down in her own room and she really needed the sleep. I know it was because her fever was back, but it was too early for Motrin. I gave her Tylenol, but that didn't even touch it. I have to give a shout out to Meg who dropped off some much needed Motrin. I thought I had another bottle in the cabinet, but I was wrong. So thank you! I did find the missing piece for the humidifier in the cabinet as I was looking so at least something good came out of the search!

Monday, February 14, 2011

The Joy of Love, day 14: Wedding Band/jewelry. Since I don't have Scott's ring here, I decided to use a photo I took of M as a baby wearing our wedding rings on her toes.

The morning started off really well. Abby worked on signing all her Valentine's cards to her friends while I showered and then it all turned ugly when I tried to get Mckenzie dressed. Mckenzie didn't want to get dressed and was just cranky. Abby was upset because Mckenzie had new clothes to wear and she didn't. Her words to me went something like "Why don't I ever get anything new! I don't have any clothes to wear (as she pointed to her closet)" Seriously? This kid has clothes coming out of her ears. She only chooses to wear certain ones. Mckenzie likes to wear lounging pants whereas Abby at Mckenzie's age preferred to wear sundresses. Needless to say, Mckenzie needed some pants and so I bought her some. I never thought it would cause so much drama. I guess next time, I need to remove the tags before Abby sees the clothes so she doesn't get upset! In the middle of this whole discussion, Scott called to wish us a happy Valentine's day. Poor guy was probably pretty surprised to hear such grouchy voices so early in the morning! But, we all got dressed and Abby made it to school on time. Mckenzie and I came home and I noticed she was sooo cranky and acting tired so I decided to see if she was running a temp. Yep, almost 103. Yuck! I guess that explains her crankiness last night and this morning! I called a friend to pick Abby up from school so I wouldn't have to wake Mckenzie from her nap. When Kenzie woke up, she was acting fine, but she was still running a low grade fever. I couldn't keep her still and she was running around, playing with Abby and eating all of the Valentine's treats Abby brought home. I felt bad, but I ended taking the girls out to the store to get a humidifier for Mckenzie's room. We used to have two, but one got all moldy in storage from the move and the other is missing a piece so it no longer will work. We ran to the Walmart which I really hate and Abby was worried that we were going to get the people there sick. I told her we would be careful and keep Mckenzie from coughing on anyone. Funny though, she isn't as worried about her friends because she asked many times if she could have a play date at our house tomorrow. So, we got a humidifier and some bubbles (who would have thought there would be bubbles so close to the humidifiers) and we headed back home. The girls played with some play doh before dinner and then it was off to bed. Both girls went to bed easily tonight. Abby tried a couple of excuses, but didn't put much effort into them. She did get to come out of her room though as Great Grandpa & Grandma skyped us and she heard me talking to them. I hope Mckenzie feels better tomorrow and doesn't cough as much tonight!

Sunday, February 13, 2011

The Joy of Love, day 13: Routines.  We have so many routines around here, but one that I am really proud of is the fact that Abby makes her own bed.  I wish I could say she does it every day, but she does it more days than not. And sometimes she needs reminding and other days she has it made before I can even ask her. She's just like me. Somedays I really want to make the bed and other days, I could care less. I do force myself to make it though, because if I'm expecting her to do it, then I guess I should do it as well!


Another Sunday. We headed to church even though I was feeling so lazy about going. Once I got there, I was glad to have made it. It is always such a great feeling to worship with others. The girls were a little rambuctious during the service today. Mckenzie couldn't decide what she wanted to do and Abby was very noisy for some strange reason. Usually she is happy to color quietly, but not today. When it was time for the children's message, Abby ran to the front and Mckenzie stayed back with me. A few minutes into it, she decided to she wanted to go as well so I let her go. She walked to the front, looked around and then ran back. She did that a couple of times before deciding to stay back with me. We saw some friends from Abby's school and chatted with them after the service. Then we ran to Target to get a few things for the house and some groceries. It was a quick trip and both girls behaved very well. The rest of the day was quiet. Abby worked on her homework while Mckenzie napped. After that it was a little Wiggles(I am starting to wonder if there will ever be a Wiggle free week around here!) and then bath and bed. Mckenzie threw a big fit about going to bed tonight. I decided just to lay with her because she has started coughing quite a bit this evening and I want her to get her rest!

Saturday, February 12, 2011

The Joy of Love, day 12: The eyes. I chose to capture Mckenzie's eyes. They are so blue and so beautiful! I love looking into them and seeing her vibrant spirit poking through. She melts my heart!


We had a lazy morning around here, hanging out in our pj's most of the day. The girls did a great job of playing together and I am so happy for that! We got to Skype with Scott today. He is doing well, a little stressed from his work, but overall he is doing just fine. Abby had fun talking with him and Mckenzie woke up in time to say a couple of words too. We went over to a friend's house for dinner tonight. Mckenzie was a little shy at first, but warmed up to playing with the other girls in no time. Abby had lots of fun, like always. It was a nice relaxing evening and it was so great to have a home cooked meal. We seem to be doing a lot of sandwiches and soup around here lately. When it was time to go, Abby didn't throw a fit this time (she has slowly been getting better about this), but Mckenzie didn't want to go and refused to put her shoes or coat on. Once she stepped outside, she wanted her coat, but still no shoes! Silly girl. Just one less thing to take off when we got home!

Friday, February 11, 2011

The Joy of Love, day 11: dreams. I had a hard time choosing which dream to capture for Scott. He has a couple of dreams/passions that are really important to him. One is hunting and the other, bowling. He always says one day he would love to own a bowling alley. He has bowled since he was a child and loves to be on a league. Unfortunately, his work schedule doesn't allow for him to do that these days. I hope someday he gets back to doing what he loves!


Both girls had school today. Abby had pajama day and Mckenzie had her Valentine's party. Abby, of course, was excited to get to school to see her friends and show off her pj's. Mckenzie, on the other hand, was reluctant to go into her classroom and started crying. I hated to leave her again knowing she was so upset and I am hoping she will adjust soon. I had a preschool meeting during class so I was at school all morning as well which turned out to be a good thing, because Mckenzie's teacher came to get me because Mckenzie was having a very hard time. She isn't crying the entire time (although her main teacher reported that she was. Hello, I was in the building right below her classroom all morning. If my child was screaming the entire morning I might have heard her and Abby's teacher would have most definitely come and gotten me! I asked Maria, the teacher's aide, who is the one that came to get me toward the end of class what really went on. She reports that Mckenzie is sad, cries at times, asks for her pacifier, and doesn't want to play with toys. That I believe. I am not sure about Mckenzie's teacher and I am having serious reservations about keeping her in that class.) Anyway, as soon as Kenzie saw me, she brightened up and enjoyed her Valentine's party. Abby had a dental cleaning today and did great! She went back by herself to get her teeth cleaned and wasn't scared at all. I was a little worried about how she was going to do after having a filling done and she told me she was never going back. I got a babysitter to watch the girls tonight so I could go out with some friends. It was a great night out and it was fun to have some adult conversation! I was happy to hear the girls were good for the sitter as tonight was her first night watching the girls.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Joy of Love, day 10: Where they are comfortable. The kids love hanging out in the family room by the ottoman. Close to the toys, tv, and fireplace. Perfect place for them. Each girl has claimed one side of the ottoman, Abby is closer to the fireplace and Kenzie, the couch. Yesterday, they were snuggled together on the floor in front of the ottoman. That would have been the perfect picture, but this one is pretty good too.


We had no plans today and spent a good bit of the morning playing upstairs in our pjs. I love days like this! We finally made our way downstairs and Abby started begging for a play date. I tried to find one for her, but her friends were busy today. That didn't sit well with her and she threw a nice fit over that! We got to Skype with Scott again today. It was great to see his face today. Abby talked with him a little bit, but she has this tendency to use baby talk to him and sit so low in the chair Scott can only see the top of her head. We had gymnastics tonight and I am so proud of Abby. She learned how to do a backroll all by herself! She was so proud of what she had accomplished and ran over to me twice to get hugs! We had to stop by the grocery store to pick up a snack to bring to school tomorrow for Mckenzie's Valentine's Day party. The girls begged me to buy hotdogs and so that is what they had for dinner, along with a chocolate ice cream cone. Very healthy dinner tonight! Mckenzie settled down pretty quickly tonight. I think I only put her back to bed 8 times. Not bad compared to last night!

ICE CREAM FACE!