Disneyland 2014

*There is a video I made from our day at the end of this post. It's pretty cute :)*

I drove the kids to California to visit family. Alex was nearly non-existent anyways studying for school and his upcoming board exam. We got in to town late Wed night and the next morning we went to Disneyland with my parents, my sister Laura, and my Auntie Dell and Aunt Allison. It was a birthday celebration for both Anna and Todd. And a celebration of just wanting to go to Disneyland :)

When we first got into the park, we saw Belle standing over to the side so we went and got in her line. At the exact same time, me and Belle made eye contact and we recognized each other immediately! She was one of my closest friends when I worked at Disneyland and I hadn't seen or talked to her since. It was so wonderful to see her and to catch up for a second! She was so surprised to see that I had three children and was so sweet to pay some extra attention to them. 

Trying to snap a picture before the horse and buggy run us over!

The day we went happened to be the 50th anniversary of the song "It's a Small World After All". There was a sign in Town Square saying that Richard Sherman would be there in a cavalcade doing a "sing-a-long". I really wanted to go see the man behind so many beloved Disney songs. 

 Watching the Mickey's Magical Map show

The line to see Elsa and Anna was ridiculously long. 2 hours long! When I had asked Lucy what she wanted to do the most when we got to Disneyland, she would say she wanted to meet Elsa and Anna. My mom and aunts were so kind and tag-teamed waiting in line. Lucy was so thrilled to meet them!

 This little girl was zonked for a good while. She missed meeting the Frozen characters. Not that she even cared...

It's not easy trying to get three little kids to cooperate in a picture!

Lucy got a musical box with the Princess Aurora in it. When the princesses came by in the parade, my sister Laura got Princess Aurora's attention and pointed to Lucy. Lucy proudly showed her the music box and Aurora acknowledged her with showing Lucy her dress and blowing her a kiss. Lucy was on cloud nine!

 Todd loved his R2D2 lunch box. That boy is all about Star Wars and robots these days.Unfortunately he was too short to go on Star Tours. Next time...

 The kids were enamored with the Tiki Room - Nana's favorite!

We had an absolute blast! We were all tuckered out by the end of the day. Can't wait for next time!

Here is a video I made from our magical day! (If the video below doesn't work, click HERE)

Happy Birthday Anna!

This sweet girl turned ONE on April 7th! I don't want to be cliche and say "where did time go", but really...where did time go?!?! 

Annie has graced our home with the kindest, most genuine, loving, gentle little spirit imaginable. We love her oh so much!!

Some facts about Miss Anna Dell:

*Not quite walking yet...probably within the next month or two

*Seven teeth

*She points at everything with her chubby little index finger

*She smiles at EVERYONE. When we're out and about, people are always commenting at what a happy baby she is. My sister-in-law said it best...she's such a Cheezer! 

*She stiffens her legs and points her toes to communicate that she wants to be picked up, or she wants you to stand up while holding her, or she doesn't want to get out of the tub, or doesn't want to be put down, ect. 

*She likes to eat chalk and crayons. I try my very best to make sure there aren't any around, yet somehow she always finds a crayon or piece of sidewalk chalk!

*She's a good little climber already. I have found her up on the couch several times, and she has even climbed into the car!

*She adores her brother and sister and they adore her back. Lucy loves holding her hands to help her walk, and Todd wrestles with her nearly every day. 

We love you, Annie! Happy Birthday baby girl!

Day 12 - Nourish

I didn't know what to write exactly for this prompt. I guess I could talk about what foods I like, but that just sounded so boring. So instead, I looked up the word “nourish” in the dictionary (that is, if you count Google as a dictionary) and the definition reads – “provide with the food or other substances necessary for growth, health, and good condition”

Necessary…what is it that I find necessary to nourish my heart, mind, and soul? Aside from the basics of food and sleep, I have learned that something that nourishes me is interacting with others. And by others, I mean people other than my Littles at home. I love connecting with people. It almost gives me a little bit of a rush. Finding common ground with a person is something I search for. To be able to laugh, agree/disagree, talk about likes/dislikes, or even just shoot the breeze with another human being is invigorating. Because everyone is someone. They too have a story to tell, whether it be big or small, and I’d like to figure out what that story is.

I have also found that time alone is nourishing for me. No kids. No obligations. No one to talk to. Just me. My husband is pretty good at giving me that alone time when he can. If he can’t, I find other ways whether it be walking to the mailbox alone or sending the kids outside.  I need to be rejuvenated somehow so that I can simply face the day ahead.

Writing nourishes my soul. Writing helps me discover what is actually in my soul. It feels great to be able to get whatever it is out and to have it make sense. Or to knock me into sense! Sometimes I let things fester and they get so skewed and whacky that when I write those things down, it all doesn’t seem such a big deal after all.

I receive nourishment from above as well. In fact, above all I receive nourishment from my Father in Heaven. I can’t always recognize the help I receive, but I know it’s there. I know my Heavenly Father is mindful of me and my situation. And those days when I feel alone, I know I never truly am.

M&M’s….peanut M&M’s. They unfortunately nourish me too. 

Annie Stays in the Hospital

If one person gets sick, it's only a matter of time before it spreads to the rest of us. In this case, Lucy had gotten sick - fever, cough, cold, tummy ache - and after a few days, I took her in to the doc. She just basically needed to ride the wave until it was over. The doctor even warned that the other two kids will probably follow suit. So that night when Annie came down with the same symptoms, I did my best to treat them. But days went by and she didn't get any better and was actually getting worse. It was the weekend and I kept telling myself that come Monday I was going to take her in.

Sunday night was the worst. She could hardly breathe. She was floppy. She wouldn't eat or drink and she barely got a wink of shut-eye. I called the doctor's office first thing Monday, but she couldn't get in until late afternoon. I couldn't wait that long...I just knew she needed to get in right away! I took her tot he ER where they instantly started her on breathing treatments and ran several tests. They took some X-rays and before we knew it we were heading up to the fifth floor to stay the night.

My heart broke when the doctor told me they were going to admit her. I knew she would be perfectly okay and that she just needed proper treatment. I knew that we wouldn't be there long. But my heart still broke at the thought that my daughter was just so ill. My mind instantly thought about my family who have gone through much more difficult and extremely painful situations involving their children. Oh how my heart ached for them. Here I was experiencing the tiniest sliver of what they felt - the reality of having my child admitted to the hospital, and a feeling of helplessness and uncertainty. And even though Annie's condition wasn't all that serious, it was still serious enough to be admitted to the hospital. No matter the case, as a mother you only want the best for your children and that includes their health. I wanted Annie to be back to her normal happy, giggly self. I was anxious to get her started with the proper care and treatment, praying we wouldn't be there long. After a few pokes, she got her IV and was on her way to getting better. 

(She had RSV, pneumonia, a double ear infection, and was extremely dehydrated)

We have such wonderful friends who took Lucy and Todd for us overnight without a second thought so that I could stay with Anna and so that Alex could continue studying for a huge test coming up in a few days. Such life savers! The next day, my parents hopped in the car and drove the 7 hours to come to our aid. We are so extremely grateful to them as well for all of their help. My mom even stayed that second night in the hospital with Anna so that I could go home and get some sleep! And we are so appreciative of everyone thinking about her and praying for her. There truly is strength in numbers as we exercise our faith. 

I feel like i just gave an acceptance speech at the Oscars. But we are ever so grateful! 

Thank you! Thank you!