Miserable time

I know I went from having a wonderful time and now it's a miserable time? Saturday night Catherine came down with the flu and I was up all night with her throwing up. Of course, she only wanted mommy. Then yesterday, Megan was playing with the ear thermometer and wanted her temperature taken and when I took it, just playing around with her, it turns out she had a temperature. Great. Out of curiousity, I took Jonah's, who was fine, and mine, and I had a temperature. That would explained why I didn't feel the greatest yesterday. To make a long story short, the rest of us came down with the flu last night... Dan, me, Megan and Jonah all at the same time. I know, I know.. Who's supposed to take care of whom when you're all throwing up in the bathroom. I've never been more grateful for having more than one bathroom. Though we're (Dan & I) are exhausted today, we're all on the upside. Of course, Megan and Jonah are acting like nothing ever happened. Why can't they just want to lay around and recover when I want to lay around and recover. Oh well.

My week

Sorry I don't have any pictures for this week. Hopefully I'll get on the ball soon. We had our sewing classes this week and they went really well. I've even had a couple of people tell me they've worked on their projects (pillowcases) at home or have started other projects. I'm really excited and having lots of fun teaching it.

Update on Catherine's hearing test. It was fine, just like I thought. She's just wiggly, which makes the numbers come out lower. Imagine that, a 5 year old who's wiggly. I just can't imagine. It also means that when I have to call her name more than once to get her attention, she's can't use the excuse she can't hear me. She's just being 5.

Megan and Jonah are driving me nuts. If she isn't teasing and making him scream, he's pulling her hair and trying to get his way. And I thought it would be easier with just the two of them while Catherine's at school. I know, I know. This too shall pass. We're just trying to teach her not to tease and him not to be a brut. If he wants something he will pull or push you where he wants you to be to get what he wants. It'll be fun when he's older, right.

Today my wonderful husband took care of the kids and let me do whatever I want. It was a in return of his going to all the BYU football games and leaving me at home every Saturday while he does what he wants. I'm beginning to like football season. I spent a lovely 4 hours at the Family History Library (by myself) (with no kids). It was great. Of course I didn't find what I was looking for, but I did find lots of stuff I wasn't looking for. Such is the way of genealogy. I guess I'll just have to go back soon. Oh darn!

Well, back to inputting the names and places into my genealogy program.

Kiss me again babe!

Can I say, I just love baby kisses. Jonah has just started giving kisses, (I know he's a little behind, but he already knows the remote & the phone) and I just love when babies give kisses. They are so cute.

thump, thump "Can you hear me?"

I got a call from Catherine's school today saying they tested her twice on the hearing test and she did not pass, so they are referring me to an audiologist. I know she can hear (or at least I thought she could). And to think all this time we've had to call her name more than once to get her attention we thought she was just ignoring us. I'm sure it's all right, I'm curious to hear what he says though. It's Megan that has problems pronouncing "j's" and other letters.
More to be updated on that next week.

Megan's Dance

Since I posted Catherine's gymnastics I have to post of Megan's dance class. I was really nervous about her going because she was so clinging going to Nursery at the time. From day one she was great. She walked in like it was her own house, no crying or clinging or anything. She loved it and looked forward to going each week. Funny thing is, when the class was over and I asked her if she wanted another dance class, she said no.

Graverobbing

Ok, so we're not graverobbing here, we're just taking pictures of tombstones and my children are getting so used to going to cemeteries and when we have the camera out in general, us taking pictures of them. So now when we go to cemeteries, they want us to take pictures of them with the headstones. I think it's kind of funny, that's why I've added it.

24th of July Primary Activity

Here's Catherine at the Primary Activity Day. She did the stick pull and the other picture she's throwing clothespins in a bucket. We weren't able to stay for all of it. Catherine was sad because she likes to make homemade butter.

Catherine's Gymnastics

Here's Catherine in her gymnastics class. She loves it and wants to go more than one day a week, but not enough to keep her room clean everyday. (That would be my Catherine and her anti-clean gene). Now her and Breanna are in the kindergarten class and I'm impressed on how much more they are learning. The teachers work on more exercises with them and more one on one stuff.

I love living in Utah

How I would miss being able to light fireworks living in California. I know some parts of California you still can, but not where we lived. Jonah was soooo tired but completely enthralled in watching the fireworks. They were a little loud for him though. I would put my hands over his ears and if I removed them at all, he would grab my hands and put them back over his ears and he laid in my lap watching the show.

4th of July

We got home from our Seqouia trip on Tuesday and that weekend was the 4th of July. Dan's parents had their annual 4th of July party and this it the cake I made for it. You can't tell from this picture, but all on the sides is the names of our ancestors who fought in the Revolutionary War. There wasn't enough room to fit all of them.





Catherine was not happy to sit to take a family picture. She wanted to change into her swim suit and go outside on the big slide that Grandma & Grandpa bought.







Can you blame her?

Seqouia National Park

This is us at the Seqouia National Park. The trees are amazing!!!!







This was a pretty cool hike. It was a ways and the kids did spectacular. I was so impressed with Catherine. We made her hike a lot on these two weeks vacation and we hardly ever heard her complain or ask to be carried. She was amazing.

Vacations continued

If you ask Catherine what her favorite part of the whole two week vacation was, it was the swimming at the hotel. She tells us she is a mermaid and she thinks she can swim (which she can't). She stays in the shallow end, except when she's trying to hold onto the edge and go around the pool. I know, scary. But she's always been our go getter and it's hard to tell her that she can't do something, like swim.



Megan would only go near the water if she had the duckie ring with her (which is a good thing). She was also always in arms length because she can't swim either. Guess what we're spending our money on next year..... swimming lessons.
















Then the girls insisted on laying out for awhile. Is that instinctual?










Oh, before I forget. This pool was at the "haunted" bed n' breakfast we stayed in. There have, supposedly, been ghost sightings here. We didn't know that until the first morning when we read an article in their dining room. Ours wasn't an "active" room though. Oh darn!

Trains, stagecoaches, and gold

After Calaveras we drove to a town, which I can't remember the name off hand, and took a ride on a train. The girls loved it and Jonah was pretty entertained also







The train actually went by this stream/river where people still pan for gold. They said that only about 30% of the gold has been found, meaning there's still about 70% of the gold still out there! I think we should try a new career. I read there are company who will take you out for the day and teach you how to pan for gold and most people find enough to cover the cost of the lessons, about $250 or so for a family.



Here's Megan panning for gold. They found little gems and tiny specks of gold. They were more interested in the pretty rocks though then finding specks of gold.








I know it looks like Jonah's about to fall in. He's pretty secure.









Catherine, Megan and I got to ride the stagecoach. Boy, am I thankful for cars. We even got robbed while on the stagecoach. It was quite an adventure.

I never knew I was purple

You Are a Purple Crayon

Your world is colored in dreamy, divine, and classy colors. You hold yourself to a sky high standard, and you are always graceful. People envy, idolize, and copy you without realizing it. You are an icon for those who know you. And while it is hard to be a perfectionist, rest assured it's paying off! Your color wheel opposite is yellow. While yellow people may be wise, they lack the manners and class needed to impress you.

What Color Crayon Are You?

More Calaveras

I figured since we were camping in a place with the name "Big Tree State Park" I should add some pictures of the big trees. This one is the one they cut a hole in to walk through because Yosemite had cut a hole in one of their big trees so people could drive through it. Don't you love competition?




This is how Jonah spent most of the hikes. We borrowed this carrier from our friends and he'd stay back there. Except we discovered he gets motion sickness and we think the carrier didn't help that. He never got sick on us, just in the car. Thank goodness. As we would hike along, sometimes I'd sing to help keep the kids motivated and if he was on my back, he'd lean close to my ear and sing with us. "la,la,la,la,la" It was really cute.



This is me walking through a fallen seqouia. Pretty cool, huh! Gives you an idea of just how big these trees are.










And lastly (for Calaveras), here is Dan standing on a Seqouia that was cut down years and years ago. They actually used this as a stage for awhile. I have lots more to post on this trip and this summer, but if I post everything today, then what will I have to post tomorrow for Mel to read. ;-)

An Attempt for Mel to have things to read

I thought I'd update about our busy summer, though I probably have to do it in different post. Our busy summer started out with our annual family campout in Calveras Big Tree State Park where we had a wonderful time. This is the little river we went "rafting" on. It was perfect for the girls. Even though Catherine was shivering with cold and could hardly talk, she didn't want to leave. She is our mermaid, as she has named herself. Megan had lots of fun playing in the water also, though wasn't sure about going on the tubes. When we pulled out our little boat (a toddler boat which is for the pool), she was all excited. That was more her style, to have no hole in the bottom.

Jonah was not sure about the water at first. I have to admit, it was chilly. But, when I tried to take him out of the water he fussed and only wanted back in to play. Go figure.







Megan & Grace would hang out on Grandpa's lap when they were in their pj's and didn't have to go to bed yet. They weren't allowed to walk around and get dirty (their favorite thing to do).











I can't get the pictures where I want them, so oh well. These are my bat girls. I can't wait to get caught up on my scrapbooking to do this page. The junior ranger program was on bats and they had these cool wings.

My latest project

This is my latest project, Trick or Treat bags. I'm teaching our ward how to sew and this will be October project. Our project this month is pillow cases.

My kids are so excited about their bags, but Catherine's isn't as big as Megan's (and she's not very happy about it).

Fall Decorations

We got out our Fall decorations a week or two ago and we had our annual pumpkin fight. Jonah got involved with it also and had a blast. I'll had to post a picture of our pumpkin patch later.

updates

I guess if I'm going to have a blog, then I should update it every once in awhile. Catherine started school and is loving it. She's doing really well. I was worried that her social asperations (sp?) would interfere with her school work, but so far it hasn't. Her coloring and writing has actually gotten neater. She tells me she only talks to her friends at recess. Every day she makes new friends, so she is really happy there. I'm adding a picture of her on her first day of school.

We went to Jonah's 15th month check up (I know it's a month late) and he's in the 75% of height, 25% of weight, and 75% of head size. So I guess you'd describe him as a tall, skinny toddler. He's doing well and lots of fun.

Megan is adjusting to her sister not being around a couple hours every day. She wants me to play games with her every day, which makes it hard to get things done. Oh well, they're only young for a little while.

Well, kids are getting up. Hopefully I'll have time to post later.