Jake is 32!

Jake is celebrating his 32 birthday today.
Well really all week in small pieces.
I think he would agree it has been one of the best years of the 32.
I would comment that that is because we spent more time together as a family than was ever possible before.
Happily because Jake's working from home plan is working out so well.

Sadly his office was looking like this.
It had become the temporary storage while we refinished the basement starting back in November.
With us still working on (but very close to finishing) the rest of the basement I couldn't let him work in this disaster any longer.
What is that- a microwave? our christmas decorations, furniture with no place?
Oh and flat white primer on the walls.
I think his computer is somewhere around here!
How was he even running a successful business out of this hole?
For his birthday we surprised him and sent him away for the day.
We 1st had to clean out everything, then the walls got real paint.
New furniture and accessories, a CD player and a selection of books on tape finished the room off.
Now when he meets with clients, they won't have to sit on the old microwave.
It is a much better arrangement.
Since then sometimes I sneak down in the middle of the day just to sit in the cleanest, prettiest room in our house.
We had a cake and some presents the kids picked out for him too.
When the kids pick out presents for you it is the best.
A Thomas the Train card- a nerf ball and a squirt gun.
Yesterday for his birthday I planned a date for just the two of us.
Forgive the horrible pictures- they were taken with my video camera.
Just the two of us haven't been on a date other than a quick trip to buy Christmas gifts in secret since, I'm going to go with October. How pathetic.
We decided to try Joe's Crab Shack for dinner. Not only had we never eaten here- we also basically got free parking for the soccer game later because it is across the street. Jake and I always say we don't eat seafood. We don't. That is because we think we don't like it. That is because we both got really bad food poisoning from it years ago.
Turns out we really do like shrimp and crab legs though on special occasion.
Whole buckets full of them.
Really we haven't decided if we like the food so much because of what it was, or because it is the 1st meal we have eaten without our children in several months.
Either way- I am already planning on eating my weight in crab legs when we go to the coast in April.


Jake and I at the Real SL game.
It was our 1st time at the new stadium and it was so much fun. They have crazy fans, and it was a full house. It only rained on us a bit too though the forecast had predicted lots of snow. They played LA Galaxy- with some of the best players in the league- but Real pulled out an easy victory. Our tickets were front and center too so we didn't miss a thing. Well except for when I went to get us churros and the line was like twenty minutes long.


All in all, I am so glad it was Jake's birthday.
It was so much fun to spent time just the two of us doing new and different things.
Its not like I can forget how awesome Jake is.
He gives me small reminders every day of his awesomeness.
Like when he gets up with the kids and makes them blueberry pancakes.
or when we comes upstairs from work to change a diaper because I am sure it will make my pregnant self vomit.
Or how every night we watch a little tv before going to bed, and he laughs out loud, and it makes me laugh too.
Or how he feeds my dog every night because I am tired and don't want to go out in the cold.
No, I don't need to be reminded of how awesome he is,
but spending all evening just the two of us made it just that much more clear.

St. George Weekend

Relaxing inside to movies and treats.
Coloring with the markers I let them have.

Loving all the donuts.
Hanging out on the patio

Bubbles

Kate dancing in the sun and rocks.
At the temple together.
Best part of this- Sam waving hello to the Christ statue. Kate joined in too. They sat and listened to the recording so well and reverently, it almost made me cry.

Kate is proud of her rock tower

"walk! walk!" Sam says.
He really talked a lot this trip, proud of all his words, asking for things, pointing for things, asking questions.

We had this weekend in St. George sort of planned since January.
But with pregnancy and our two weeks or sickness- it really snuck up on us.
Jake was signed up to attend a law conference for a few days and of course we all wanted to come along. We just love forced reasons to vacation.
Jake usually gets his continuing education for his license on one of our Sun Valley trips.
but we knew this year that would be difficult seeing as how a baby is due with in a few weeks of that conference, so we decided to give St. George a try.
I have been hearing people talk about their spring breaks in St. George for more than 10 years, and I never really got the draw. Now I do though.
We had so much fun.
Because we procrastinated so long to really plan this trip, we literally got the last place to stay in St. George. It just happened to be a condo almost the size of our house.
And it was perfect. It was great to have each kid in their own room. Some miracle of miracles our children did not wake up until 8:00 am both mornings.
Kate kept calling it "our big place". I think we were spoiled a bit, and will have a hard time staying all together in a small hotel room without a kitchen ever again. The resort had an indoor pool and a kids park to play at too. It worked out so well.
Jake had class until 12:30 one day, and 2:00 the next day.
While he was away the kids and I shopped a bit, went to the wilderness museum, had a picnic and mostly went on walks, blew bubbles, and played outside. Sam loved bubbles. He would chase them and say "pop" and if it blew away "wait". Kate enjoyed making a rock tower in a pile of landscaping rocks. We also spent a lot of time on the patio and jumping on the trampoline and collecting rocks and pine cones.
The kids are wearing sweatshirts in most our pictures, but that is only because it is before 9:00 am, and we are already playing outside. It got up to 80 degrees one day, and I even got a little burned.
When Jake returned from class, we would shop,swim, eat out, play at the park and river. We also spent one afternoon at the St. George temple and visitor center, and part of an afternoon eating ice cream and playing in a water fountain.
Some more of the kids favorite things included the selection of Disney movies the condo had, the markers I bought for them for the trip, and for Sam- eating all the donuts.
It was the perfect vacation, in to the warmth, finally being well.
It was fun to spend so much time focused on my kids and what they wanted to do to have fun.
Also I promise that I was on the vacation- there just is not one picture of me.
I didn't really take pictures like I usually do on trips- I think only 40 or so- not my usual 200.
I guess we were having too much fun to stop for photos.

Leopards and Leprechauns

It is St. Patrick's Day.
You would hardly know it if you hung out with us today.
Kate was up at night throwing up, with her 103 degree fever.... for the 12 day in a row!
I was up worried sick about how sick she has been.
In the morning instead of enjoying dressing the kids like pools of green and making a green breakfast, we were trying to get into see the Dr's and pack for a trip we were suppose to be leaving on.
I only remembered it was St. Patrick's Day as we entered the Dr's and it was decorated for the day. While we waited to check in I told Kate that we had forgotten our green clothes and leprechauns were going to come and pinch us.
Then we sat down to wait. Of course we waited for like 40 minutes. Some time during this Kate turned to me and said
" We better go home and put our green clothes on. I have green clothes. I have a green dress or something. If we don't the leprechauns will come and poke us"
I told her she was right. Then I asked her if she knew what a leprechaun was seeing as how the only mention I've ever made to her about it was just a few minutes earlier.
She said she did.
She told me "it has black polka dots, and is yellow, and is really pretty big. It lives in the forest and eats meat"
I told her I think she had leprechaun confused with leopard.
They do sound similar.
She wasn't too nervous considering she wasn't wearing green and a big meat eating leopard was on its way to poke her.


We got checked out by the Dr.
Kate made me reassure her he was in fact a Dr. because instead of scrubs or a white coat- he was wearing a green turtleneck. I told her he just wanted to wear his green to the leopard don't poke him. She was a little unsure.
He convinced me that Kate really wasn't dying despite the 103 fever for the last 12 days.
And the best part was that I believed him.
Really other than her fever, she had no other symptoms at this point and was as happy as I had seen her in over a week.
This was great news.
Since Saturday we have made two trips to the Insta- Care, two trips to visit the Doctor's office and one trip to the ER.
It has been on expensive week. and exhausting.
Not only are we getting less sleep because of all the sickness....I haven't slept because of all my worrying.
And I was sure we weren't going to make it to our vacation in St. George that started this afternoon.
Despite some left over fevers, we decided to go anyways.
Jake had to come for a conference, and we couldn't refund the condo we rented.
So we figured we could just be sick in the condo.
But we've had happy, healthy, kids so far.
We played outside at a park, went to dinner and shopping, and even went swimming.
Of course the kids just love hanging out in " our big place" per Kate.
And we are having some fun for the first time this month.
So St. Patrick's Day was a pretty great day after all.

Straight Out of a Jane Austen Novel

I've been shut away, sick in my room since Thursday night.
I keep telling Jake I feel like a Jane Austen heroine whose under the weather and confined to her room in the east wing for the week. I always found these sections of Austen era writing unbelievable. That somebody, even a sick somebody, could sleep for days on end.
But I am a new believer. I've been under the covers since Thursday night aside from a five hour trip to the ER. I literally was only awake for about 6 hours on Friday, and only a few more on Saturday. Some how my children- 2 and 3 years of age, have better immune systems than their pregnant mother. They seem to have cooled their fevers and calmed their coughs.
Though Sam's fever went back up to 103 tonight I think 1st thing Monday morning we will be headed in to have some ear infections checked.
Jake has to this point escaped the death cough thankfully and been our dutiful care taker. Without direction, groceries have been purchased, meals prepared, children bathed and but down for naps.
I have missed caring for my children, and playing with them, and feel they have grown just in my not seeing them for three days. But am completely grateful for the capable husband I have, who has completely abandoned his plans and work to assure the rest of us are alive and well.
My prescription allowed me to sleep an additional 6 hours Sunday afternoon, and I woke up feeling only sick- not on my death bed. I came down stairs to children eating popcorn and watching the velveteen rabbit with stories of their 1st adventures playing outside on the grass for the year. After they were put to bed I proceed to disinfect the house. I am still working on washing all the linens, but at least all surfaces have been sanitized and all toys submerged in boiling water. I am determined to not let this bronchitis follow us into next week or turn into pneumonia.
I'll be the 1st to admit our family, especially my kids, seem to catch things more often than others. But we really have been well aside from a brief cold since Christmas. This caught us off guard, how use to only Mom being pregnant sick, being the only sick around here. Thank goodness it seems we are on the road to recovery.

Disney On Ice- A Tragedy

Yesterday afternoon a commercial for Disney on Ice came on the television saying they were opening tonight. My favorite two year old excitedly pointed to the tv yelling "Buzz" and the character skated across the screen. So on a whim I got us all tickets and anticipated the fun our family would have later that evening.
I'll admit we've been suffering from runny noses around here, but nothing serious enough to keep us away from a peek a "Mackey" and the gang. Kate dressed up like Ariel and we were off.
The kids seemed a little bit tired, but we made it to Salt Lake with time to spare. We walked around, convinced the children they didn't need $22 glow in the dark wands, and found our seats. The show started and it seemed our children were not interested, I whispered to Jake "whats the deal, or kids sit better for Sacrament Meeting" and it was true. Then we traded kids, putting Sam on my lap. He was burning up. My mom thermometer put him at 103 or so. The show was more than half way done, so I had him drink the frozen water bottle I had brought, then Jake regrettably bought some $10 snow cones. He regretted the fact they were $10. I regretted they were red and blue. You'll see why in a minute. After the snow cones everyone perked up a bit, plus Buzz came out. Kate did seemed pleased to have seen the princesses. But mostly I was disappointed. Not only did I spent the entire time worried about Sam, and not feeling to fabulous myself, I had imagined all the fun we were suppose to be having, and I was let down. We made it to the car and within minutes both kids were sleeping.
Unfortunately in Parley's Canyon Sam woke up to throw up- that snow cone was now purple slop all over him and the car.
At home we got Kate in bed, cleaned up Sam and finally got to bed around midnight.
I suppose it was selfish to think my kids were well enough to have some fun.
But I also find it most tragic that the little colds turned so much worse literally as we were waiting for the show to start. The 3 pictures we took were from that waiting time.
It does serve us right in a way. We've steered clear of most of this all winter. Mostly because I've felt so crummy we never go anywhere. And we did go to the pediatrician's office for Well checks last week.... the breeding ground for this sort of thing.
The funny thing is whenever we have something to look forward to it seems something prevents us from going- usually illness. But this time the fun wasn't planned- just last minute. How could something spoil our plans in a few hours.
Ugg.
Now we are going to spend the weekend trying to breath.
Perhaps by the time we are better it will be Spring and we can have some fun outside.