Aurora's blessing day & sick children

It sure has been a week!!  It started out with me taking Lincoln to the Pediatrician for his 5 yr check up.  I'm terrible but I didn't even ask his height and weight, but he did mention he was in the 42% for weight and 20-25%? for height.  He did fantastic with all the other tests. 

 

Oh and Linc read his first real book to me last week!!  We were jumping around with joy we were so happy!  Good job Linc!  It was a Fly Guy book, he loves those.  It makes me so happy when kids learn new things like that.  I love being his Mom:)

 

So, a couple hours after the check up, Lincoln started to get sick. He ended up missing school every day this week. Sequoia ended up missing 2 of the 4 days. Once Lincoln's fever broke and felt a bit better, Sequoia got it. When I thought Linc was feeling better, I took the kids to Mike's YM activity.  It was super cool. My friend somehow had the Chinese acapella group that won China'a Sing Off staying at her house for a couple days, so we had them come sing for their mutual activity.  It was pretty cool! Although it was while we were there that Sequoia started her fever, and Linc threw up in a garbage can there.  It was worth it though:)

 

 

So all the rest of the week, we've been stuck at home. I was getting excited to go to church today and get to chat and be out, but last night Sequoia cried and cried through out the night, waking up Aurora a bunch of times, who now has the fever and it looks like an eye infection or pink eye.  No church for the girls today:(  I'm going to call the doctor's office tomorrow and see if we can get Auri in. She has green yucky goo all over her right eye. Poor girl. Although it's times like these that I'm so grateful I don't work out of the home anymore and I can be with my children when they need me. (And I'm finding that I love my little munchkins even more when they are sick.)

 

Oh wait, Mike and Linc just walked in the door early from church.  Lincoln is starting to get green yucky goop in his pinkish eyes as well.  Sweet. Nobody at church, everyone in the doc tomorrow.  Let's hope next week is better.

 Her sad little eye

 

Even though it's terrible she won't take a binky, she LOVES her hands!



Kiddos playing in the toy room

 



I had to get a couple pictures while it was actually clean!

 



Quoi is our water girl!!  She decided that her princesses needed a bath. Quoi also loves to stand at the sink forever and clean the dishes, she's Mommy's great helper. 

 



Cute nakey fat girl:)

 



Early morning computer time.  Aurora is almost as big as Sequoia.

 

Auri's blessing day February 3rd...  both Grandparents were able to come for her blessing!  What fun to have them in our home at the same time.  Daniel, Annica and Max came with Grandpa and Grandma Phister.  They hadn't been out here yet, so it was fun to show them around and have them here. We ordered pizza, played lots of games, watched the kids play together and passed cute baby around and chatted. I loved it.

 



Grandpa and Auri just hanging out. I was amazed how happy she was just sitting there!

 



Grandpa Goodman letting the kids play with "Wilson the Mouse" They just loved it.

 



Of course these two on the Ipad...

 



Just shove it in her mouth, she'll stop.



We are so happy our family took the time out of their lives to come visit us and be here for our special day. It meant a lot to us, especially as we all sat together that Sunday morning.  

Me and Mikey

Oh my life is going so fast!  We have been so busy.  I'm so sad I never take the time to sit down and write everything we are doing.  I'm going to try harder (and yes I say that a lot!) I always write down things about the kids, but hardly ever about Mike and I, so here we go...

 

Mike:  He is always on the go these days.  It is so nice that he is home more often now with work.  He works from the office most of the time now, and is home for lunch and dinner almost every day.  He does occasionally go to Denver for meetings and trainings, and once a month he does a field audit and is usually gone overnight (he just got home from one).  So now that he is home more, he has more time for church callings!  He's the young men's president and there always seems to be something going on. Activities, camping, meetings before and after church, trainings, meetings for missionary prep, dances...  Sometimes I go with him to things and its been fun.  He comes to baptisms with me, we have friends and new people in our ward over often (try to).  He watches the kids and puts them to bed while I'm out doing stuff. With new little baby in the house, Mike has helped out so much with household chores.  Sometimes even more than me!  Thanks sweetie, I love you:)

Mike got his hunter safety since we moved here to Casper and has been wanting to go shooting with some friends.  (He did before, but now its legal:)  Hopefully he'll be able to find the time soon.  He also plays a game on Xbox Live with his brother in Seattle every now and then.  Sometimes three times a week, sometimes a couple a month.
 

Raquel: I am a Mother.  That explains 85% of my craziness. The last couple days it seems that when Aurora isn't sleeping or eating, she's crying. Its been hard to keep up with the house and trying to comfort her. She's a handful, but I love her so:) Since she was born I feel like I'm just getting back into normal life and somewhat of a routine and actually keeping the house clean at least one day of the week now.  I'm still the 2nd Counsellor in the Relief Society. I love it so much.  I love getting to serve other sisters, make meals for families, go visiting less active and new sisters, dropping by sister's houses to say hello... I'm over birthdays and every month we go to each house and wish them a happy birthday.  I try to do it on their birthday, but 1/2 the people I don't even know on our list so about once or twice a month me and Kuulei go out together and do it.  It's been my favorite thing I do, I love meeting and visiting people.  I'm over the activities, and we just started having one every month now so its been pretty crazy and fun.  We just got together Tuesday and made rag quilts.  Since I've made like 8 of those now, I got to show everyone how to make them.  It was a lot of fun.  Throw in teaching, meetings,  conducting, I love my calling:)

I got my piano a little over a year now, yeah!  All last year I tried teaching myself to play (from absolutely nothing). I finished a book and got as far as I could go.  So now my friend Teri (just 2 streets down) is teaching me.  I love it! I do like having a teacher now because she makes me accountable to actually have to practice.  I'm finding that I LOVE playing and it's becoming a "time out" for me.  My goal is to at least learn how to play from the modified hymns book. 

Us: For about 6 weeks now, Mike and I have been having a somewhat contest with losing weight.  We both have a goal of 10 lbs.  Its actually been harder than I thought it would be.  Maybe because of my obsession with apple pie?? I was eating it daily and averaging making a homemade pie twice a week.  (Eating half the pie as soon as it came out of the oven, I'm telling ya, obsessed!!!)  So... tomorrow will have been 2 weeks that I've taken a break from apple pie.  And what do ya know, I've lost 5 lbs!  Another goal is to try to workout better.  I'm stuck in the 90's and do Abs of Steel and Taebo, love them.  And jog/walk on the treadmill.  I'm not so good with consistancy and motivation. Let's just hope I can lose that extra five!! Mike is going to get a membership a the rec center here and go to their gym.

We used to go out on dates way more often until the baby came. "Kids ruin everything." We did take her to one movie, she was fantastic.  We'll have to attempt it again soon.  I love my dates with my sweetie:) And some delicious sushi!

Now quick on kids: A couple weeks ago somebody was coming over to our house and I was trying to hurry and get the house picked up (of course).  I told Sequoia to pick up the pillows on the floor and put them back on the couch.  As she did she said, "Yeah Mom, we want them to think they've been there the whole time..."  What?! Of course that's the point, but how does a 3 yr old catch on to that? She never ceases to amaze me.

Lincoln today at the dinner table said, "Mom, what does "son of a b" mean??" Hmm... looks like I need to think of some better sayings.

Auri is so cute with her new little sounds and babbling.  I love each and every step of children! 



Two Weeks Of Pics...

Auri a couple weeks ago.  In Grandma Phister's cute little outfit she got for Christmas:)

Our sweet girls sleeping in their hut

 

Mike took the kids outside in the snow one day.  They were so happy!  We have a "wash" behind our house (a big drain ditch) so he took them back there to go sledding on.  Then they played outside and threw the hula hoop back and forth over the house.  They thought it was the coolest thing:)

 



Me and Auri stayed inside in the warm warm house, right by the fire.  It's always nice to watch Daddy and the kids playing from the comfort of my warm house:)

Watching TV snuggled by the fire.

She just LOVES her baby sister.

I'm so sad I can't figure out how to fix my pics!!

I had a huge cleaning day getting a lot done. I peeked into the bathroom and saw Sequoia and Lincoln cleaning the tub and floor for me.  I'm so happy to have them:)