I have Christmas pictures and other stuff to post, but I haven't been able to sit at my desktop computer to get it done because I get sick and dizzy when I don't have my feet propped up. I'll try to get Ben to help me with it when he has some time. However, he is now back to work and trying to keep everything together here at home while I am on bedrest.

To keep things short, Ben and I were watching a movie Saturday night when I suddenly felt very dizzy and on the verge of passing out. I called my doctor and she said to eat something and go to bed. If things weren't better on Monday, she wanted me to call her office even though she would be out. Of course, she told me to head to the ER if things got worse. I was able to rest and make it through the weekend, but Monday morning I was still struggling with the dizziness so another doctor mine works with had me come in for some tests. It looked like I might be developing preeclampsia so I am on bedrest this week and have an appointment with my doctor on Monday to see how things are going. This little guy might be coming sooner than we expected. We'll keep you posted.

I wasn't able to do my regular Sunday afternoon post because Zack wasn't feeling well and needed A LOT of attention. I also neglected to post our family's pictures with Santa. We went to see him at the Airman and Family Readiness Center the day after Ben got home. I forgot the camera (again), but they had a camera there. They printed out and emailed the pictures they took for us. It was great. There were two little boys there before us, but Tansy charged right up. We had to make her wait her turn.
Sydney was not sure about this at all. She isn't happy that Ben stepped back two feet to let her have a picture with Santa.

Tansy, however, thought this was great. As soon as the boys were finished, Tansy ran right up to Santa with open arms. She gave him a huge hug, stroked his beard, and told him he was silly. She didn't ask for anything, but she sure loved being with him.

And we had to get the classic baby crying on Santa's lap picture. Are we terrible parents for laughing during this?

The kids have loved having Ben home, they just can't get enough of him, even when he is trying to look at stuff on the computer.

And everyone in this house loves to color. Tansy doesn't police the markers as well as Sydney does, so Zack got to create his sofa masterpiece. Notice how happy he is? I'm grateful we chose the microfiber with the scotch guard. Whew.

On Monday, the 21st, Zack had his surgery to put tubes in his ears. This is the only picture I got. It was when I handed him over to the nurse. He was not happy to be abandoned by his mom.

Everything went great. He had a lot of fluid in his ears, and they said that should help him feel a lot better. Since he had already had three antibiotics for this ear infection alone (making nine in the past year, and, yes, they were still infected) they just gave him drops and will check up on him at his follow-up appointment. We were only at the surgery center for an hour and 20 minutes. I couldn't believe how fast it was. He bounced back really fast and has been a much happier baby, bouncing around and laughing. It's nice to see him feeling so much better.

I finally have a good news week to report on for all of you who have stuck with me through the madness of the last few weeks.

Sydney started basketball this week. She did really well at her first practice. Much better than I expected. We bought a junior-sized basketball so that she can practice in the basement. She is really excited for something new to do since dance is over for a while. I am the team parent (with Ben as my backup). Practices are after Ben gets off work so he will be able to go participate with her. We are all excited about that since they need the parents to help out and I won't have to try to do that with the two other kids (soon to be three other kids) in tow.

Tansy is being a typical 2-year-old. She suddenly talks a lot more clearly, wants to be involved in everything I do, and has to do everything by herself. I have simply learned to start getting ready to leave the house earlier. She is having a hard time watching Sydney participate in all of her activities, but they don't have anything for her until she's 3. We're going to let her do the Start Smart Baseball this summer.

Zack probably had the busiest week. On Tuesday at physical therapy, he finally started cruising. He has been able to stand and even recently pull himself up, but those little feet stayed pretty firmly planted. I was really excited about that, but then yesterday, he got on all fours and started crawling across the living room! Crawling is something that we have still been working on, but the therapist wasn't sure that he ever would. We got him to do it a couple of times, but he still prefers scooting on his bum since he can do that faster.

On Thursday, he had his appointment with the ENT. Despite three rounds of antibiotics, his ears still look bad. He is scheduled to have tubes put in on December 21. This is such a relief for us after seeing him in so much pain again and again. He has been on nine rounds on antibiotics in a year just for ear infections. This should really help him to feel better.

Ben took leave for this entire week. It was nice to not only have him home, but to be able to relax. I was able to rest more than I would have and try to fully recover from being so sick. We even hired a sitter and went on a date yesterday. It was our second time since we moved here in May. Long overdue, and the fastest three hours I've spent lately.

We had a great sacrament meeting today. The bishopric spoke about Christmas and the Savior. I had to keep reminding myself that it wasn't a fast Sunday so I couldn't go up there. I just felt so strongly about my testimony of the Savior that I wanted to share as well. I love this season where we are reminded and talk about Him so much more. I am so grateful He came to earth to make it possible for me to return to my Heavenly Father. Merry Christmas!

Just when we thought things couldn't get any worse, they did. On Monday, I had to drag my drugged, bronchitis-ridden body to the clinic for Zack. He was still wheezing after three days of breathing treatments and steroids. They had ordered a chest x-ray before I even got there so that saved a lot of time. Turned out that he had pneumonia and both of his ears were badly infected. Since he needed antibiotics for the pneumonia, the doctor chose one that would also treat his ears, although this meant round three for the same infection. Fortunately, his ENT appointment is this week.

I had an OB/GYN appointment on Tuesday. The baby is still doing great, and I still didn't have pneumonia. Whew. Some of my numbers were off, and we're hoping that is just because I was sick and not because I am developing any complications with the pregnancy. That's all we need.

We spent the week resting and basking in Grandma radiance. My mom took care of all cooking, cleaning, kids, and me. There really is nothing like having your mom when your sick. I felt so strangely relaxed and didn't have to worry about a thing.

I was finally feeling like I could move again Friday morning, which was good since my mom left shortly before 5:00 that evening. My friend, Roxanne, so kindly drove her to the airport. I'm still on some medication that would make my driving hazardous to everyone.

We expected Ben to be home late Saturday afternoon, but he got an earlier start than planned on Friday, and when he programmed the GPS to go home, it gave him a route that shaved three hours off of his drive. Praise Garmin and down with internet maps! He decided to just push through and arrived home at 10:00 Friday night. We surprised the kids the next morning when Dad was already home! Our home feels so good now that our family is all together again. Ben is on leave for the next week and not planning on going anywhere for quite some time.

We put him right to work getting the Christmas decorations out. Our tree is about six inches too tall for our topper, so Ben cleverly rigged it with a rubber band and some fancy branch-bending.

Last night Sydney had her dance recital. The first video is to the tune of Jingle Bell Rock and the second is Billie Jean. I brought the regular camera and didn't even think about doing video until we got there. The sound on our regular camera is nearly non-existent. Too bad, but still cute.

Last Sunday I was excited to post pictures of us enjoying one of the nice fall days we have had here. We seem to be going back and forth between cold and rainy and beautiful 50s and 60s. Here's a few of the kids. In the first one, Sydney is pretending to be Balto bringing the medicine to the sick children of Nome, Alaska. That's why her tongue is hanging out.

So why didn't I get this posted last week? Believe it or not, illness invaded our house once again. Sydney spiked a fever right after church and started coughing. I kept her home on Monday, pushed liquids and rest, all to try to get her to school on Tuesday. That was the last day of school before Thanksgiving break. Not only that, but Sydney was scheduled to be helper in class (i.e. line leader, bring something to show the class, etc.), they were having Charlie Brown Thanksgiving for snack, and turkey dinner was on the menu for lunch. Sydney had been looking forward to this for two weeks.

Tuesday morning, she was still running a fever and coughing, but I gave her all of her medication and let her try anyway. Twenty minutes after school started, I got a call from the school nurse asking me to pick up Sydney. Her fever was still pushing through both fever reducers I had given her and she was hacking her head off. Her sweet teacher sent her Charlie Brown treats home with her and we were on our way. She slowing down at all, which helped me since I needed to pick up some things at WalMart and get Zack through physical therapy and an occupational therapy evaluation. We picked up some frozen turkey dinners at WalMart for lunch, and the day seemed to be saved.

However, Sydney started getting sicker that afternoon and was progressively worse all day Wednesday. When I put her to bed that night, she started coughing so hard and didn't stop for several minutes. She started throwing up and still couldn't stop coughing. I knew she needed to get to the ER, so I called my wonderful friend Emily across the street to come stay with the babies, and off we went.

Turns out that it was pneumonia. Poor little girl. She just can't get a break. Some breathing treatments and an antibiotic shot later (which she still talks about since it hurt so dang bad) we were back home.

Thursday morning, I had to break the news to Sydney. She was too sick to go to Thanksgiving dinner at the bishop's house. This was absolutely devastating to her. She had been counting down the days to this since the beginning of November. We drove in to town to get Sydney's prescription only to find that the Walgreen's pharmacy was not open as the ER staff believed and the nearest open pharmacy was nearly an hour away in Blue Springs. Since Zack, Tansy, and I had started feeling under the weather on Wednesday, and the ER staff assured me that the shot would hold Sydney over until Friday morning if necessary, we skipped the trip.

Instead, we briefly stopped by the bishop's house, got some delicious turkey dinner to go, as well as a priesthood blessing. Lots of disappointed people. I was one of them.

Sydney started coughing really hard again that night and we started for the ER, but she fell asleep quickly in the car so I turned around and came right back home. I had left Tansy at a friend's house, and was glad the next day that she wasn't there for long since she really got sick the next day.

Friday morning, once everyone was dressed and fed, it was time to really head back to the ER since Zack and I weren't breathing well. They diagnosed albuterol and steroids and sent us home. However, that afternoon I was informed that a much better treatment was on the way.


My super, incredible mom!

My parents decided that enough was enough and for the last week that Ben was gone, my mom would come stay with us and help us get better.

And not a moment too soon. She arrived here at our house about 3:15 yesterday afternoon. I thought I had been sick on Friday. Oh, no. I discovered sick this morning. My cough got so bad despite religiously taking everything I had been allowed. I knew I needed to go back. So we all packed up once again to the ER.

I knew I would be coughing too hard to speak by the time I got to the registration window so I simply handed them my discharge paperwork from Friday. After many tests and a few consulations with my OB/GYN, I was diagnosed with bronchitis and given even more drugs.

Now I am just sitting, resting, drinking water, and observing my children bask in the glow of a grandma visit. I have the best parents EVER! Here's hoping that at some point, our bodies will just get tired of all of this crazy illness and my kitchen counter can stop serving as an in-home pharmacy.

Thought you all might like an update on the haircut situation with my kids.

Sydney got her hair cut this week by my friend Kimberly.
Tansy got her hair cut this evening by Sydney.

And Zack just really needs a haircut. Maybe I should have taken a picture of the back where we are having some major cowlick problems.

I don't have any pictures of us languishing away on various pieces of furniture this week. Last weekend, it was time for Zack and Tansy to come down with the dreaded swine flu. The actual flu part was mild and Tansy improved after a couple of days.

However, Zack's breathing got really wheezy on Tuesday, and by that afternoon, he was working really hard to breathe and becoming lethargic and not responding well to me. I took him to the ER where they tested him for RSV and pneumonia. Both tests were negative, but since he was having such a hard time breathing, they gave him a breathing treatment and sent us home with Xopenex.

I took him in to the pediatric clinic here on base the next day for a follow-up and found out that both of his ears were badly infected. I had figured all of the screaming was just his way of protesting his illness since he could finally breathe.

I also got a phone call from my OB/GYN's office that day to tell me that my blood work showed that I was really anemic and I needed to start an iron supplement immediately. I was going to call that day to ask about some dizziness and weakness that I had been struggling with. Mystery solved. After just a couple of days on the supplement, all strange symptoms disappeared.

Tansy relapsed on Thursday with a fever and coughing and drank absolute gallons of water. By Friday, both she and Zack were doing much better, as was I. Sydney had been back to school all week so things had been quiet and restful.

I'm happy to report that we all made it to church today. Sydney got to participate in the Primary program. She said her line so well. I was afraid she would get shy and mumble into the microphone. She didn't sing most of the songs, although she knows them. She gets shy and chews on her fingers. It's really gross.

Thanks for all of the prayers and thoughts for our family. We have an amazing ward out here. I didn't have to cook for a week and a couple of sisters came and cleaned my house on Monday. We have been blessed and well cared for.

Those of you who have been following my Facebook posts this week know that our family has been plagued by H1N1 this week. Sydney was diagnosed with it on Monday. Despite our best efforts to keep her cough under control, her reactive airway disorder kicked in, and by Wednesday night she was coughing so hard she was throwing up everything she ate. I called a couple of guys from church who came right over to give her blessing. After a rough night, we were back at the clinic Thursday morning.

The nurse we initially dealt with was really ticking me off. She kept going on about how the cough can last for a few weeks after the illness. I kept explaining that her cough was getting worse, not a residual post-flu cough, but she wasn't listening. The doctor, however, was more helpful. She changed one of the medications Sydney had been on, gave her another medication in a nebulizer, redid her chest x-ray (still clear, thank goodness), and gave her another nebulizer treatment since the first one hadn't loosened Sydney's lungs as much as she had expected. Sydney had also broken out in hives right before we went in and the Benadryl was totally knocking her out by the time we finished. We were there for two hours trying to get her well enough that the doctor felt like she could go home. During this ordeal, my wonderful friend Cassie was watching Zack and Tansy. There is no way I could have gotten Sydney through everything with them there.

By late Thursday afternoon, I noticed definite improvement in Sydney's breathing and a reduction in her coughing. She wasn't out of the woods yet, but at least we were going in the right direction.

Just in time too because that evening after the kids had gone to bed, I started coughing and feeling achy. I had an appointment with my OB at 9:00 the following morning, at which time we discovered my temperature was going up as well. She prescribed Tamiflu and told me to start it immediately since we had caught it so early. I was a so scared because I have so many risk factors. I'm pregnant, I have reactive airway disorder as well, and I am extremely suseptible to pneumonia when I get the flu. This is why I ALWAYS get vaccinated. In fact, I had received an email Thursday afternoon saying that the H1N1 vaccine was available at the clinic on base and had planned to go in on Friday. What timing.

Because of my risk factors, my doctor warned me that if I got any sicker that I would need to go straight to the ER, especially since we were going in to the weekend. So I spent the afternoon on the phone setting up with friends to be on ER alert. My friend Camara also brought dinner over for us that evening. I also got a blessing from the same guys who gave one to Sydney. It really helped me to relax and know everything would be okay.

So what did that mean for Halloween, you ask? I called yet another wonderful friend named Roxanne and asked her to bring over some dinner for us last night then take the girls out trick-or-treating. It was really sad that neither Ben nor I got to go with them since it is so much fun to watch them. They only went to a few houses because I didn't want Sydney out too long since she is still recovering. I know they look totally mad at me in this picture, but I think that's just because they wanted to get out the door, not take pictures. Sydney is a dinosaur and Tansy is a flower. Today, I am doing better than I expected. The priesthood and modern medicine are wonderful blessings in my life. I am still confined to the couch and have to be careful about talking too much. Yeah, I know how many of you are chuckling about that. I have dinner coming for the next four days and someone to help with housework tomorrow. I am so blessed to have so much love and support. Not only are there so many people that are willing to help when I ask, but many that insist and helping regardless. I hope to have better news about the health of this family next week.

This week, we got Ben back for a little while. The inspection ended on Tuesday so he got to go back to his regular 7:00 to 4:00 schedule after a Wednesday morning stint as Mr. Mom. I had a dentist appointment at 8:00 that morning so he got to take Sydney to school and spend some time with Zack and Tansy.

On Tuesday afternoon, I went to a parent-teacher conference for Sydney. It was so much fun to see that she is excelling in all of her school work and to hear her teacher say she is a hard worker and a sweet girl. Sometimes I think I'm just biased, but my kid really is awesome!

On Friday, Ben came home at lunch to get some last minute errands done and to carve a jack-o-lantern with the girls. Zack was on doughnut duty while keeping a close eye on pumpkin activity.
Sydney actually designed the face. It looks a lot like the jack-o-lantern they carve at the Halloween party in "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" except for the nose. Since she has watched the movie a couple of dozen times in the last little while, this was not surprising.

And, of course, Tansy had to be involved in the messy part. They loved helping Dad clean out the pumpkin.

On Saturday, we had to say goodbye to Ben yet again. He is off to ASBC, which is training for new officers. He will be at Maxwell AFB in Alabama for the next six weeks. He will home on December 5, right before Sydney's dance recital. Good timing, huh?

Sydney got to go to a birthday party for one of her friends from school yesterday. She got to wear her costume, which she loved. I'm glad because she wanted to be a pink dinosaur. Yeah, find on of those at WalMart. I had to make it and was worried she would be disappointed. I'll post pictures of all of the kids in their costumes next week. Sydney asked me after the party why Skye (her friend) was all black at the party. Apparently, Skye is blond like Sydney, but her mom had sprayed her hair black for her costume. Sydney didn't recognize Skye with black hair and thought she was at a party with kids she didn't know for the first few minutes. What's funny is that she had a good time anyway just because Sydney likes to have a good time.

Getting Sydney to the party was an ordeal. About three hours before the party, Tansy slipped on the stairs and hurt her foot. She wouldn't walk on it at all. This meant that I had to carry both Tansy and Zack into the building to help Sydney find the party and again to pick her up. And I'm six months pregnant. I can only imagine how ridiculous I looked.

Three hours after the party, Sydney started with a low-grade fever and a cough. So we are staying home from stake conference today. I think we can all use the rest. I know I can.

We've had a pretty slow week here. Ben in involved in an inspection on base and has been working noon to midnight every day since last Sunday. We are hoping things go well and the inspection ends on Tuesday like it is supposed to.

I have had a cold, so we haven't been able to go anywhere or do anything other than get Sydney to school and back. My kids are a bit stir crazy.

Sydney had her first school pictures on Friday. She was excited about it, but it wasn't quite what she expected. She really liked the Junie B. Jones books and thought that the "cheese man" was going to take her picture. Apparently the photographer was a girl who had her say "puppies" instead of "cheese." She assured me that saying "puppies" made her smile for her picture anyway.

Zack is cutting another tooth. He is one of those kids that gets one at a time, and one right after the other. He chews on absolutely everything, including me. Those little suckers are sharp!

Tansy keeps asking to take out the pool and go swimming. It has only been in the 40s and 50s here this week. Yesterday, I told her again that it was too cold. She looked at me and said, "I wear a coat?" Yes, baby. That will make it all better.

We are well! For the moment, everyone in this family seems to be healthy. It turns out that I was having a severe reaction to the eye drops I was initially prescribed for my pinkeye. I went in first thing Monday morning and got a new prescription. It feels so good to finally be able to wear contacts and eye makeup again.

On Monday, our Family Home Evening activity was setting up the few Halloween decorations we have. This is the girls posing with "Grandma Halloween" as Tansy has named her. Tansy is reallyexcited for Halloween. This is so funny to me and Ben because we don't think she even knows what it is really about. Just wait until the candy starts rolling in.

For most of the week, we just stayed home to let my eyes get better and so I could recover from the cold that I got as well. It was rough for a couple of days because I was so congested and couldn't take anything. I have done well with Sudafed during past pregnancies, but this time it did crazy things to my heart rate. It was 120 beats per minute after I had been laying on the couch for two hours. Not good.

Lucky for me, it cleared up enough that we were able to break in our new fire pit last night. It was only about 45 degrees outside with a cold breeze on top of that. But it was a lot of fun to roast hot dogs and marshmallows with the kids over one of Ben's amazing one-match fires. We had to do something to enjoy our one-day weekend.

Today Ben started 12-hour shifts every day until he leaves again. There is an inspection on base that started today so everyone is working a lot. Ben got the noon to midnight shift. I think that would be preferable to the midnight to noon shift. Much easier to stay up a little late than wake up WAY too early. Maybe this is just a good way to ease us into him leaving again. It's only six weeks this time so it will be a piece of cake.

Right now, I am so glad that Ben is here. I am not having a great week.

Okay, it didn't start bad. On Monday, we had our ultrasound and found out that we are having another boy. It will be nice for Zack to have someone to play with when the girls decide to exclude him. He wasn't invited to their baby shower yesterday because he's a boy.

On Wednesday, I had my appointment with my OB/GYN. She confirmed that everything is great and normal and that my due date is still February 1. I also got a flu shot. My reaction was worse than normal and I felt like absolute crap for two days.

On top of that, my right eye became bloodshot Wednesday night. Since I have really bad allergies here, I took some Claritin and called it good. By Thursday afternoon, it was painful, swollen, and goopy. Yep. Another case of pinkeye! I got in to the doctor first thing Friday morning and started eye drops right away. I thought relief was in sight, but I have been disappointed. It is now Sunday morning, and it has spread to my left eye and steadily worsened in my right eye. In fact, I can barely open my right eye. I have to wash my eyes several times during the night just to get them to open again. Okay, enough about me.

Sydney had her first field trip on Friday. She was so excited to ride the bus. She said it was fun with her friends, but she got tired because it was so long. It was an hour of travel each way. They went to a place called Paradise Park in Lee's Summit to do harvest activities. She absolutely loved it.

While Sydney was off having an adventure, I took Tansy and Zack to get their flu shots. Tansy cried more about me putting her on the table than about the shot. Zack was already grumpy so it didn't seem to matter either way.

The weekend we have been watching General Conference. When Sydney is home, Tansy does not want to nap, even on days that she knows she needs to. I almost got her down yesterday, but she got distracted. Since I haven't felt well and wasn't hungry last night, Ben and the kids were eating cereal for dinner. Tansy started falling asleep at the table and ended up with a face and lap full of milk and Multi-Grain Cheerios. Poor girl. It cheered her up that I had some "new" pajamas for her though. I spent yesterday sorting through every article of children's clothing we own. So glad that is done. Everyone has warm winter clothes and the baby's drawer is full and ready to go.

I'm so glad that today is more General Conference. Now I don't have to find a substitute piano player for Primary. I'm just going to relax. . .as much as mom with three small children can. End of gripe session. Whew.

Last we spoke, Sydney had pinkeye. I kept her home from school on Monday to let her have plenty of time on the eyedrops. On Tuesday she went to school, then spiked a fever of 103 that night. So I kept her home from school again on Wednesday. Thursday morning, her temperature looked good and she insisted she was fine, so we went back to school again. That evening her temperature hit 103 again, she complained that her ears hurt when she blinked, and she went to bed before 7:00. So she was out of school once again on Friday and off to the doctor. She had ear infections and strep. I started her on her antibiotics right away, and she up and at 'em the next morning.

Good thing too, since WE WENT TO THE CIRCUS!

That's right. Ringling Bros. were in town, and I took the girls. We had a great time. I had never been to the circus before. Tansy was so into it. She would just watch everything, absolutely enthralled, and then clap as hard as she could. She didn't mind the s'more on a stick either.

Unfortunately, things would not continue so well for Tansy. Monday morning she woke up with pinkeye. The doctor who had seen Sydney had given us two refills on her eye drops so that I wouldn't have to come back for more for Zack and Tansy. We got her started on her treatment for her eyes, but Tuesday morning, she spiked a fever. She didn't start complaining about any pain until Wednesday and was able to see the doctor Thursday morning. On Thursday, she was so sick she wouldn't eat and wouldn't go anywhere without her new comfort object. See below.Yes, that is a box of chocolate cake mix. She even took it to the clinic. We got quite a few chuckles when people saw a sad, sick two-year-old clutching cake mix everywhere she went. Whatever works. It turned out to be strep and we got more antibiotics. Just in time too because on Friday, DADDY CAME HOME!

Sydney had a whole party planned. They made a yellow Welcome Home sign. We also had chocolate cake with vanilla frosting, blue candles, and sprinkles as well as balloons. I found out about all of this when Sydney was asking Ben his preferences on colors. The best was when Ben got home and the party got underway. Sydney had turned off all of the lights and wanted everyone to sing. I asked her what we were singing, and she started in on "Happy Birthday." She didn't get far before she realized that it was nobody's birthday. Ben suggested "I'm So Glad When Daddy Comes Home." That may be the first time someone had blown out candles on a cake after that song.

All of the kids are loving having their dad home. Even Zack likes to scoot after him and sit on his lap. We will definitely enjoy the next four weeks having our family back together.

Okay, this week I can actually remember some things that happened. Zack had his first physical therapy appointment a week and a half ago. He doesn't roll, crawl, pull up, or cruise. He just scoots around on his bum, so his doctor wanted to have him evaluated for the delay in his gross motor skills. This learning table is the fun part of therapy.
There are less fun things he has to do. Poor guy. He hates this thing so much. I tried using Dum Dums as a bribe to get him moving. Now he just cries at the sight of a Dum Dum. Maybe I should pull out all of the cookies and candy and scar him for life toward junk food. Hmmm....

It was Homecoming Week in Knob Noster, and Sydney's school is part of the Knob Noster School Districs. They got to dress up every day. The first day was pajama day, the day Sydney had been waiting for. I didn't know. When I picked up Sydney from school, she didn't run down the sidewalk like she usually does. I asked her what was wrong. She burst in to tears and said, "It was pajama day, and I didn't have any pajamas!" I explained that I didn't know, that I hadn't gotten a note. It turns out that Sydney had decided to go through her backpack by herself on Friday, took out the note, and left it on the floor in the office. I found it Tuesday night so she was able to dress up for the rest of the week.

This picture is from Wacky Wednesday.

This picture is from Panther Pride day on Friday. The colors are orange and black. Those are panther paws on her cheeks.

Things were all well and good, until PINKEYE!

We got a note from the nurse at the beginning of the week informing us that pinkeye was going around the school and that parents should not bring their children back to school the day after they have been sent home with pinkeye. I knew it was just a matter of time. Sydney woke up with one red eye yesterday. Since she has been struggling with allergies, I waited to see if it got worse. At about 1:30, I noticed that her eye was starting to get goopy.

I called the nurse triage line and was told that a nurse would call me back by 3:00. She called right at 3:00, asked a bunch of questions, and told us to go to Mediquik in Warrensburg. On a side note, I really hate have to wait around to ask permission to take my sick child to the doctor on the weekend. Anyway, I get the kids ready and loaded in the van and drive the 12 miles to the clinic only to be told that they don't take appointments after 3:30. It was 3:38. I was so frustrated, I just started crying. When I called the triage line again to see if there was another clinic I could go to, she said she could put me back in the system and a nurse would call in about an hour. I explained that I had already spoken with the nurse and just needed to find out about another clinic. She said I would just have to wait so I hung up.

I drove home with a very sad little girl who didn't understand why I hadn't been able to get her eyedrops. I called back when we got home and spoke to a very helpful guy who actually looked stuff up for me. He explained that was the only clinic and it was open until 6:00. I told him it was only open until 4:00 and not accepting patients after 3:30. He apologized and said he would try to get that information to the right people.

So we headed back out to Warrensburg this morning. The clinic opened at 10:00 so we were waiting outside the door at 9:54. Sydney got the first appointment. While we were waiting, a little boy from the class next door to Sydney's came in with pinkeye. When the doctor walked in our room, he looked at Sydney and said, "Uh oh." He also informed me her tonsils are huge. I told him it runs in my family and that I am planning on having everybody get their tonsils out for family reunion next summer. We finally got the eye drops. He even gave me two refills so that I could treat Tansy and Zack when they finally get it. I think the worst part for Sydney is the fact that she can't go to school tomorrow. Here's hoping that we're over this by next week!

I can't even remember what went on this week before Friday. That is because a few minutes before 7:00 that night, Ben walked in the door. It was a total surprise for us. I was in the office working on the computer when I heard the screen door open in the kitchen. I shouted down the hall, "What is going on out there?" When I got to the kitchen, Ben was standing there. I immediately burst into tears and just hugged him for a while. He hadn't told us about coming because the people in training did not get Friday off like most other people in the Air Force this weekend. However, his teacher got through the material as quickly as he could and dismissed class at 11:00. Ben drove straight here.

We have had a blast. On Saturday, we drove to Sedalia to have a yummy breakfast at Perkin's. Best pancakes ever. We hung out and played with the kids until that evening. My friend Roxanne had agreed at the last minute to take the kids so that Ben and I could go out to dinner. We finally found our yummy Mexican restaurant. So good!

I felt like the silliest person at church today because I just couldn't stop smiling and would get so excited any time someone who ask about Ben and how long he's here. Today is actually our seventh anniversary, so that makes it even better.

He has to head back to Texas Monday after lunch, but even having him for a couple of days is worth it. Best anniversary ever!

I once again forgot about my recently acquired sensitivity to mushrooms and ate an amazing Vietnamese dish at the ward potluck. Since I am suffering the effects, this will be brief.

I had an appointment with my new doctor on Monday. She seems much more willing to treat me like a person than the people in the last office did. It was nice to come out of there feeling happy and well-treated.

Sydney's allergies have flared up a lot since she started school. Although the doctor put in a prescription for Claritin since she has had it before, she has not been doing well this weekend. I've had to add cough suppressant and breathing treatments of steriods and albuterol to keep her from coughing hard enough that she throws up. It's made for hard days and a couple of rough nights.

I started watching my friend's six-year-old on Tuesday and Thursday nights. He is a really well-behaved little boy, and he praises my cooking. Who knew that pasta with spaghetti sauce and barbecue chicken sandwiches could garner such gratitude?

Tansy has a developed a funny way of telling me that she is lonely. She ask, "Mommy? Where Nay-nee?" I'll say, "You know where Sydney is." She'll reply, "Nay-nee at 'chool. Daddy at Teckas." Then we usually read a book or something to get her mind off of it.

Zack is determined to get a mouth full of teeth one painful tooth at a time. This round of teething has gone on forever. He is such a moody guy. It's like he has a switch because it is so fast when he changes. It definitely keeps me on my toes.

You will notice that Sydney wrote her name backwards on this paper, including the letters except for the "y"s. When I asked her about this, she said, "I was mad because they wouldn't let me see my mom and dad, so I wrote my name backwards." How's that for revenge? Five-year-olds can be absolutely diabolical. Despite this incident, Sydney is really enjoying school. She's a much happier girl when I pick her up than I expected. She had her first school lunch last week and told me it was awesome. I still only get tidbits here and there, but I'll take what I can get.

The other benefit of school is that Tansy's sentence structure has improved immensely. I now notice how much Sydney talks for her, even though I swore I wouldn't let that happen. Another parenting absolute down the drain. With all of this reality flushing my good intentions, I may need to keep a plumber on standby.


This isn't a great picture because Zack was eating and not cooperating and it was a day and a half later, but Zack gave himself a black eye. What catastrophe caused this? I don't know. His face was fine when he went to bed Thursday and bruised the next morning. Syd had a bruise in the middle of her forehead and Tansy had a big scratch on the side of her head as well. I know I slept soundly that night, but seriously, kids. What did you do?

This was also the morning of Zack's well child visit. He's still very middle of the road with his height and weight and has a big fat head. We got a referral to a physical therapist since Zack is significantly behind on his gross motor skills. He doesn't roll, crawl, or cruise. He only stands holding on to my fingers but not to any stationary objects. He gets around by throwing his feet out in front of him and scooting up to them. He is actually getting pretty fast. He doesn't go in until September 2.

I played the piano in Primary for the first time today. It went really well. I had a lot of fun and was really grateful to have a Primary calling that has a really low incidence of full-body contact. There are some wild kids in there.

Ben got to go to the Dallas Temple yesterday. He has been wanting to go since he got there. It is a little closer than the St. Louis Temple is to us, and he doesn't have to manage kids. We are planning on getting out to St. Louis when he gets home. It's quite an adjustment to have the temple 3 1/2 hours away now. More like planning a weekend trip than an evening. At least it is accessible, and I am grateful for that.

So, we got The Prince of Egypt from Netflix last week, and Sydney was absolutely in love with it. This is her version of looking like an Egypt guy. It is also what she is currently planning to wear on our trip to Egypt. Good thing that is a LONG way off. Perhaps we will master modesty by then.

Sydney found a leotard in a box of clothes we were going through to see what fit her. She also found some black, shiny Sunday shoes in the same box and asked if they could be her pretend dance shoes. Tansy found a swimsuit and some white Sunday shoes that were her size in the box and couldn't stand to be left out. I've been treated to several shows by my two dancers.

Each of the kids has experienced a big milestone this week. First, I turned Zack's car seat to the forward-facing position. He loves it. He rarely fusses about getting in the car anymore and seems much more comfortable. The first time I put him in, he just kept grinning and grinning.

Sydney started school! She is officially in Kindergarten as of Thursday. On Wednesday night, she got up a couple of times to tell me she was having a hard time sleeping because she was so excited for school. She had her lunch planned a week in advance. She wore her "new" hand-me-down clothes that were "very perfect for Kindergarten." I had a hard time waiting for the report on the first day because Sydney takes a while to unwind before talking about things. Seven hours of school is a lot to recover from. However, shortly after dinner, I got the scoop. She loves it and is excited to go back tomorrow.

On Friday, I took the plunge and started potty training Tansy. It's been almost three years since I started with Sydney. I forgot how hard it is. We have teeny-tiny bathrooms, and at one point yesterday, all four of us were in there with two dozen books, a Mr. Potato Head, and a harmonica. Yikes. Tansy is excited, as you can see by her supermodel pose in her new training panties. I'll be excited one of these days. I hope. The new baby is due in five and a half months, and I am hoping to only have two in diapers.

I have also acquired a little monkey. How long before she breaks her arm?

One of the best things about Sydney going to school is that I have found the perfect time to go to the gym. I drop off Sydney at 8:15, then I can head to gym from there. There is a mothers' room with a plexiglass barrier through half of it. One side has a DVD player and toys, the other has treadmills, ellipticals, and bicycles. I can see my kids the entire time. More important, they can see me. As soon as we get home, it's time for Zack's nap. I pop a movie in for Tansy and take a shower. Awesome. I didn't know about the mothers' room until Thursday so Friday was the only day I have gone, but I am looking forward to tomorrow.

Ben is continuing to do well at tech school. He is getting excellent scores on his block tests and only has six more weeks to go before we get him back for a while. We are all looking forward to that.

I am counting on the fact that all of my faithful readers would be absolutely crushed if I failed to post today, so I dragged my lazy body off of the couch and all the way to the computer to write this. You're welcome.

Our week started out with a trip to Lee's Summit to get Zack's one-year portraits. Lee's Summit is about 45 miles away. However, I live in the middle of nowhere, so we either had to break the bank for a private photographer or go to WalMart. One WalMart portrait experience was enough for me to vow that would never happen again. So, off to JCPenney. I am fortunate to have amazing friends who watched the girls so I wouldn't have to manage them while trying to get Zack through portraits. When I had this great idea, I forgot that I would have to go back again this week to pick them up. But who can complain when they have such a great military discount. All of my proofs through email for free, $3.99 traditional portrait sheets, no sitting fees, and a free 8x10. Got all of my pictures for $17.33. That was worth the drive, friends.

Tuesday morning, Sydney had Kindergarten screening and registration. When we got there, one of the teachers said she was taking Sydney to the library while I filled out paperwork. Sydney was a bit hesitant about this so I wondered how she would do. She completed all of the tasks they gave her except for one. She actually told me that she did everything "very perfect." She was so excited. She is in the same class as a little boy in her class at church, which she is happy about. Although, maybe not quite as happy as she is at the prospect of finally breaking in that stegosaurus lunch box this Thursday. She's already planning what she will pack for lunch. I am already planning on using an entire box of tissues to get me through the seven hour school day.

Tuesday afternoon was the long anticipated dance class. Sydney loved it. I didn't. The waiting area has twelve chairs, which were all occupied by the time we got there. The opposite wall was also completely lined with people and there were more people standing. I had to wedge myself and the babies into a small area right by the counter where people had to step over us to get to the desk. It was awful and got really hot. I thought it was crowded until the kids for the next classes started arriving. It was nearly impossible to get out, and Sydney so desperately wanted to show me what she had learned, despite being crushed. I found out the next day that they are finally started a dance class again on base on September 1. Since we've paid for August, we'll finish that month. Then I'm switching. I don't think Syd will care as long as she gets to dance, and I can just drop her off and come home since it's right here and not twelve miles away.

Zack has been getting three teeth, so when Wednesday night rolled around, I was hardly in the mood to pack them all down to the church for Enrichment meeting. However, they were serving dinner, and I knew I could pawn him off on someone else for a little while, so off we went. Since I was watching kids, I didn't get to help with the service project, but I did get some much needed adult time.

Thursday I got a real break. One of the twelve-year-old girls at church wanted to do some service and asked me if she could babysit my kids for at least ten hours over the next few weeks while Ben is gone. Since she is one of the most responsible kids I've met, I jumped at the chance. In less than an hour and a half, I went to the post office, WalMart, and the bookstore. I didn't know that was humanly possible. The kids love Savannah, and she is going to watch the babies on Wednesday while I take Syd out to lunch and to finish getting ready to go to school.

Thursday and Friday afternoons, we set up the pool and had friends over. Thursday we had a little girl that Sydney likes to play with and her little brother. Everyone seemed to have a great time and it was really mellow. Friday, I had invited friends that only had boys. Four boys in my backyard was intense. What was even scarier is that these are all well-behaved, polite little boys. Am I ready for Zack to grow up? Do I really want this baby to be another boy? I'm not sure. However, fun was had by all, and I would do it again.

Except for the two horsefly bites on Tansy's head. Man, I thought those would never stop bleeding. She was so funny about it too. She came up to me and said, "Mommy, head hurt." I kissed her forehead to sent her back to play. A minute later I noticed a HUGE bug on the back of her head and asked my friend to get it off. Her head immediately started dripping blood. When I went to see what was going on, I noticed she was bleeding on the side of her head as well. These horseflies are seriously enormous. We were wrapping up anyway, so it was in the house for a cuddle and a cleanup. Poor baby.

Today I was called to be the Primary pianist. I'm really excited and glad to have something to do at church. Zack will just make the rounds through laps until he is old enough to go to nursery. Church has become so much easier since I arranged for some help from an eleven-year-old girl named Kaija to help with the kids. Zack typically wants to go to sleep right after the sacrament, so Kaija will come sit with the girls while I take him out. Then Sydney had to go to the bathroom while Zack was sleeping, so Kaija took care of that too. She takes them to their classes after sacrament meeting, then picks them up and helps me get everyone in the car after church. Tansy believes that Kaija is her best friend and loves to sit by her and hold her hand. She is an absolute life saver.

Those girls are just a couple of examples of the amazing help I have received from the members of the church here. They are so giving and concerned for me, I rarely feel like I am taking care of these kids on my own. I don't think I have enough doctor's appointments in the pregnancy to take everyone up on the child care they have offered. There are so many people who don't just see a need, but offer specific solutions to help.

It has also helped that I have been working really hard on my daily scripture study. I have felt the spirit in our home change as I have been changed through the words of the gospel and prayer. I have more patience with the kids and they listen better because of that. I am so grateful that Heavenly Father is watching over my little family in Missouri (and Texas).

Zack has reached an exciting milestone. He can stand up while holding on to something. He is working hard to figure out how to get up there himself. He has made a few good attempts though.
He is also eating more and more. Of course, there are times that he needs to eat everything at once. It was so funny to watch him try to work that cracker into his mouth without letting go of the crackers in each hand.

And since he has sped up his scooting, this is what happens when I leave the room for mere minutes. I don't mind the movies as much as the books. I think he's caught on to that, because he hasn't touched the books for a few days.

But the most exciting thing about Zack this week is that he turned one! His birthday was Friday, but, since I wasn't looking at the calendar when doing some scheduling, the kids and I had plans that night. So Saturday afternoon, we fired up the webcam and enjoyed some cake and presents while Ben watched. That's why the candle shot is kind of weird. Trying to be photographer without letting the baby get burned was a tricky job.

He wasn't quite sure about this whole thing at first. He figured out the present thing and was having a lovely time with his new toys, when they were so rudely taken away from him. Distracted by the candle, he quickly calmed down, but then I blew the candle out. Then all he got was something squishy and sticky, and he was not impressed. He threw his cupcake twice before I was able to get it in to his mouth enough for him to get a taste. Then he was all business and so messy. It was a perfect first birthday fiasco!

Tansy has been working hard on her artistic skills. Since she's gotten in trouble for coloring on the walls, the couch, and the dining room table, she decided to try something else. This happened Wednesday and wasn't completely off until Saturday. At least it was gone in time for church. And speaking of church, she decided to try out something else and colored on the pew. Sigh.

We're also trying to work out naps. If Tansy naps, it is impossible to get her to stay in bed before 9:30 or 10:00 at night. If she doesn't nap, sometimes this happens. She had been crying because I wasn't cooking dinner as quickly as she thought I should and had suddenly stopped. I tried talking to her and got no response. I realized that she had fallen asleep at the kitchen table. It was less cute when she woke up.

And, of course, what does every 2-year-old want to do when they get up in the morning? Go back to bed! But there is nothing going on back there, so why not bring the bed into the kitchen?

And Sydney is just waiting. Waiting for dance class. Waiting for school to start. Waiting for the next play date. Waiting for it to get dry enough to go play at the park. Waiting for me to finish with the babies so I can play a game with her. Waiting for dinner so she can have dessert. Waiting for Dad to come home. That's a lot of waiting for a little kid. She's a good kid who has been a great help to me.

On Thursday, she came out of her room and said, "Mom, what a great surprise you gave me. You got me new sheets and made my bed. Thanks!"

On Friday, the bishop's wife told me that when she taught Sydney's primary class, the lesson was on Abinadi and Sydney insisted on telling the whole story. It made me feel so good to hear that my little girl is listening and learning.

However, I didn't learn my lesson at that point, because it was late when we got home, so I decided to just have the kids say Good Night to Ben and go to bed. When I told Sydney to come talk, she said, "Mom, we didn't read scriptures yet." I said, "I know, we'll make sure to read them tomorrow." She said, "Mom, Heavenly Father wants us to read them every day." Thanks for the reminder, Syd. What a sweet girl.