Cruise, etc....

Wow I am bad at keeping this thing updated. We went on our cruise a couple of weeks ago. It was so much fun but way too short. We went with Jared and Jenn and had so much fun with them. I got sick on the way to the ship and then was sick most of the first night. I hung out in our room while Nathan went to the show. He didn't waste one minute on rest. He took full advantage of our time away from work and the kids. I feel I took full advantage too by resting and catching up on some much needed uninterrupted sleep:) It was so nice to eat dinner and be served. The food was so yummy. Then we would go back to our room and the bed would be all made up and we would have clean towels. That's what I love about vacations and cruises especially. We get waited on the whole time and it's all prepaid. I can't wait to go again. However, it will have to be at least a 5 night cruise. Three nights is just too short.

I'm sure Janet wouldn't agree with me. Her and Berkley stayed with our kids while we were gone. It would have been fine but all three kids got sick. Melissa had a bad cough and wanted to be held the whole time, William's eardrum ruptured, and Ava was the worst of all. She ran a high fever the entire time. Janet was going to take them to the doctor but it was the weekend and by Monday I wasn't able to make an appt. So I took them when we got back. They all had a dose of antibiotics and Ava is scheduled to get her 3rd set of tubes in her ears June 3rd. It has been a struggle to get them all healthy again. THANKS JANET AND BERK FOR WATCHING OUR KIDS AND TAKING CARE OF NATHANS CHORES. It was so nice to be able to leave and not have to worry about the kids. Janet had them all in bed and the house clean when we came home. Nathan thinks that I should be able to do the same on a daily basis. I don't know how she did it because it's nearly impossible for me. How did you do it Janet?

All in all it was fun and I look forward to another cruise someday. We had our first customers come stay in the cabins this past week. It was two guys from California that brought their motorcycles. They stayed 4 nights and were really nice. They took some brochures when they left and said they would give them out to everyone they knew. They also said they would be back this fall. So that went well. Janet worked very hard on getting the inside of the cabins done. They look really good. Berk & Nathan worked really hard on the outside. They put sod and large landscape rocks in front of them. I will put a few pictures on the Rose Ranch website soon. The Jason Marshall family came to visit this past weekend as well. We had alot of fun with them. Jason helped Nathan put blinds and t.v's up in two of the cabins. I know Nathan greatly appreciated that. William hung out with Garrett and his friend Carson. He had so much fun with them. Stacey, Ashleigh and I went to Richfield and went shopping. That was alot of fun too. We tried to get them to stay Saturday night but they had to get back for church. You guys have to come for a longer time next time.

Well this post is way too long so I'm going now.

Mommy Tag

Jenn tagged me and I don't know any other bloggers except Kerrie. This won't work on her for a couple more months. So I geuss this tag ends here.

1. Typically, what time do you wake up? 7:00am

2. On a good night, what time are your kids in bed? 10pm

3. How long have you been a mommy? 4+ years

4. How old were you when you became a mom? 30

5. What is your favorite kids T.V show? The Backyardigans

6. What is your least favorite kids T.V. show? Well it was Yo Gabba Gabba until I actually watched it. It is a strange show but the songs are catchy. My kids love it.

7. What is your favorite chore? Are you kidding? I don’t have one. I dislike them all unless you count cooking as a chore.

8. What is your favorite meal to cook? Probably homemade chicken noodle soup.

9. What meal do you cook most often? A rice dish that Nathan made the recipe up. It’s yummy.

10. What is your kids favorite meal? Hot dogs. They could eat them every day if I let them.

11. What is your favorite thing your husband does with your kids? He chases them and scares them. They love it. They love him.

12. What are 5 things that make you smile when you’re being a mom?

1. Getting all 3 kids in bed with us in the mornings. They are so happy and loving.
2. Watching William get so excited over little things like when he rides the 4-wheeler with his Dad.
3. Hearing Ava call me when she wants me to read her a book or get her something.

4. Anything new that Melissa does. Lately it’s clapping her hands and watching her smile at everything. She is such a happy baby.

5. Playing with all 3 kids at the same time. We crawl around the floor showing Melissa how to crawl. She has it down now.

13. If you could take your kids anywhere, where would it be? When they are a little older I would love to take them on a Disney or Nickelodeon cruise. I love cruises and would love to go on one designed for them.
14. When was the last time you went out without your kids? We were able to go to the fair in Logandale for a couple of hours by ourselves. Thanks Tricia, Michelle, Will, Justin, and Kerrie.

15. What is your favorite pastime/activity to do with your kids? We love to read books and do puzzles.

16. Name one thing you said you would never say as a mother? I’m sure there is something but I can’t think of it right now.

17. Name one thing you do, that your own mom did? Check on each child before I go to bed.

18. What is your favorite quality your mom has? There are so many. I would have to say she is the most giving person I know. She would never get anything for herself so she could get us kids things…things I’m sure we didn’t always need

19. What is your favorite kids book? The Velveteen Rabbit.

20. What is your favorite advice for new moms? Relax. Your baby will survive your mistakes. If you’re too uptight with your kids, they will grow up to be the same way. Ask your mom or sisters for advice.

21. What is your most heartbreaking moment as a mom? Watching Ava go through her first 6 weeks of life. That was the hardest thing I have done yet.
22. What is your most joyful moment being a mom? Hearing my kids breathe when they are sleeping. I think that is the best sound and the best feeling in the world.

23. When was the last time you told one of your kids, “I Love You”? Today repeatedly.

24. When was the last time you were told, “I love you” by one of your kids? Well none of my kids talk too well yet so not yet, but I taught William the “I love you” sign on his hand and he does that to me often. I’m sure he doesn’t know what it means but it’s still cute.

Ava's Diagnosis

I took Ava and Melissa to the doctor on the 25th. It was for their 6 month and 4 year check ups. I chose a doctor at the practice they go to that they have never seen. I chose him because in his description in their brochure it said he specialized in developmental delay. So I figured maybe he could give me answers that nobody else had yet. He started with Melissa and she is healthy in the 50th percentile in weight, the 75th percentile in height, and 90th percentile in head size. She had her 6 month immunizations. When he checked Ava I asked him if I should keep getting her tested so I could know what her disability was. I didn't know if it was worthwhile to keep trying to find out what is wrong with her. He looked at her chart and checked her flexibility in her legs. He said from what he could see that she has cerebral palsy. I asked him why nobody had ever diagnosed her with that. He said it's not something you can test for. It's just something you have to assess. He said they wait until they are sure the child is delayed and then look for all of the other symptoms. He said she has all of the classic signs. Her MRI and CT scan from Primary Children's showed that her brain was underdeveloped and not growing which is the first sign. He went on to say that the stiffness in her limbs, her constipation, and her overall delay were all signs. He said it doesn't shorten her life span and she can still progress to a certain point. He said most children with CP don't walk. He said they can learn to walk with a walker as they get older. However, some CP kids can walk. So we will still work with Ava and try to get to that point. Her lack of balance is also a sign of CP and is the only reason she can't walk. He said to keep her in as much therapy as she can get; particularly physical therapy. So we will do all we can to keep her on the right track. I am going to meet with her physical therapist next week when he comes to work with her at school.

I am happy that the doctor, even though he was reluctant, gave me a diagnosis. He didn't want to give devastating news. But I didn't find it devastating. I am glad I know what she has so I can learn more about it and be able to meet her needs better. She is still Ava whether she has CP or not. Knowing what it is just helps us prepare for her future and ours. We love her no matter what and she will always be our special little girl!

Little Miss Ava

I find that I talk alot about Melissa and William but not much about Ava. Shame on me! Ava is doing so well. Since we've taken her off dairy, yeast, and sugar she has really made alot of progress. Last Thursday she went on a field trip to McDonald's with her class. The teachers told me how much fun she had. She loves the kids in her class. I had a meeting with her teachers and the school district person over the pre-school the other day. I had all three kids with me when I went. When she got in the classroom she started scooting over to the toys with William in tow. You could see on her face that she was showing William that this was her territory and she knew where everything was. It was kind of like she was showing him the ropes. It was so cute. What wasn't so cute was William getting the jagged edged scissors and cutting her ear. I told the teachers he is going to be a handful for them.

Ava is climbing on the couches and the recliner by herself. She will try to say any word you ask her to say. She counts to 3. She can say most of the colors. It's really amazing how far she has come. Yesterday she did the seatbelt up on her wheelchair. Sunday she gave the closing prayer in Sharing Time. It was so cute I almost cried. The kids in Primary are so good with her. They will sit behind her and help her do the actions to Book of Mormon Stories or whatever song they are singing. I really feel like Heavenly Father knew we needed to come here and we feel extremely blessed to be here. I just took the picture above of her. She's our little sweetheart!

Catchin' Up!

It has been awhile since I've posted anything. I've always had good intentions to post at least once a month but I'm not doing so well. We have taken a couple of trips lately so I will write about that. Our first trip was to Alamo. We went on the 4th of April to stay with my parents in their new house. Well it's new to them, however, they have done so much renovating that it could be called new. It looks great and it's so much larger than their old place. There's actually room for everyone to visit comfortably. Anyway, we went to Alamo to walk the Eric Lee Memorial 5K. It was nice because my entire family was there. All nine kids with their spouses or soon to be spouses and their kids. I know someone took a picture at the race but I haven't seen it yet. Anyone that has a picture of us all please send it to me. The race was actually fun. Nathan took Ava and William in the double stroller and walked with most of my siblings. Then my Dad, Melissa, and I walked together in last place. Melissa carried baby Melissa the whole way. I don't know how she did it but she did. I'm sure her back hurt when she was done. After the race we all met back at my Mom and Dad's. My cousin Joni, her husband Mark and their two boys Parker and Tyler came to visit. Also my Aunt Carolyn and my cousin Melissa came from Vegas as well and my Aunt Deanne came from Overton to visit. We grilled hamburgers and hotdogs and had a birthday party for Stefanie. It was her 40th birthday on the 5th. I hope I look as young as she does when I'm 40:) That's only 5 years away. We had so much fun visiting and eating and the kids had so much fun playing. My dad had just gotten 3 baby lambs and the kids had so much fun playing with them. All in all it was a great trip.

Our next trip was to Logandale for the fair. We went and stayed with Janet and Berkley. It was good to be in Logandale at the Marshall's since we haven't been there since before Thanksgiving. I think the last time we were there was for Matthew and Madelyn's blessings. That has been awhile. We arrived Friday afternoon and took all three kids to the rodeo with us. Thank goodness we had Janet there to hold Melissa. She was the best of the 3. I had to hold Ava because she wouldn't go to anyone else and Nathan kept William. It was pretty windy and cold. Ava didn't like the loud noises so she curled up in a blanket and hid out most of the time. William loved the horses and all the hoopla....for about 30 minutes! Nathan had to leave with him a couple of times. Melissa slept most of the time but Janet did have to get up and leave with her toward the end. I wouldn't do it again but it wasn't too bad. Saturday Nathan and I got to go to the fair by ourselves for a few hours. It was nice to have a break from the kids. Thank you Tricia, Michelle, Justin, & Kerrie for watching them for us. We owe you all. Later that evening we took the kids back and walked around for a couple of hours. Nathan had a horrible tooth ache but was a trooper. We hung out with Rose and her kids for a little while. It was nice to actually be with Rose and her not having to run here or there because she doesn't work the fair anymore. I'm sure it was nice for her too. Then we met up with the Marshall's that went to the rodeo and all got something to eat. Gotta love the fair food! Finally when the fair was closing we decided we would go home. Our truck was parked out by the carnival so we had to walk through there. We decided we would let the kids ride a few rides before we went home. So William and Ava rode two rides together and then William rode the last ride by himself. They were little motorcycles and he had a hard time reaching the handlebars. He started crying shortly after the ride started. Luckily a kid came late so the guy stopped the ride to let him on and I had him take William off. I'm sure if he felt like he wasn't going to fall he would have loved it. I think we'll get them carnival tickets for one day next year. I must say it was the most fun I've had at the fair since I was a kid. I never realized how much fun it is to watch my kids have fun. We stayed until Monday morning because Nathan was in so much pain from his tooth he had to see the dentist before we left. Thank goodness they fit him in!

We're back home now and enjoying the warmer weather. It has been really windy and sometimes cold but I can see that spring is not far away. It's my favorite time of the year and I want to enjoy it before it gets too hot! May will be a busy month. Nathan & I are going on a cruise, Lance & Natalie are getting married, and I believe Josh graduates. I still can't believe he is that old. Crazy! Anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing you all sooner or later.

Our Little Home Depot Boy

As most of you know there are cabins being built here at the Rose Ranch. Nathan has been working hard to get them ready for the warm season. In order to get all of the things he needs for them he goes to Home Depot on a regular basis (almost daily). Most of the time I can talk him into taking William with him. William does not like to be inside all day and goes stir crazy if he can't go outside. So often he'll go with Nathan to Richfield which almost always entails going to Home Depot. Sometimes he's tired and can't last as long as his dad needs to be there. He gets to know all of the workers and he helps them scan items and bag them. Last night Nathan and Justin took him there and the cashier gave him his own Home Depot apron.

We're still all trying to get well. I've come down with a pretty nasty cold. Ava and William have bad coughs and the baby seems like she is getting another cold. As long as it's not RSV again I can handle it. Nathan seems to be the only healthy one here. He is big on prevention. He takes lots of vitamins so he doesn't catch anything. The cabins are looking awesome. They have power and water hooked up to them. They should have the bathrooms (separate from the cabins) built today. We are excited for the vacation season. We hope to see as many of you as can come this summer.

Bittersweet Weekend

This weekend was both bitter and sweet. We'll start with the sweet first. Justin and his brother-in-law Andrew came Tuesday night to help Nathan with the cabins. Wednesday Berkley and the Dransfields came to visit and Thursday morning Janet came up. So we had lots of visitors which I love. It was really good to see the Dransfields. We haven't seen them since Thanksgiving. Lyndsie is getting so big and she crawls around and pulls herself up to the couch. She is so advanced for her age. It was fun to see her and my kids loved playing with her. We didn't do much in the way of going anywhere but we did go for walks outside to the cabins. The weather was pretty warm until Thursday night when we got a little snow. The men mostly worked and us women visited. The Dransfields left Friday evening and the rest left Saturday afternoon. It was nice to have all of them here and hopefully they will all come back soon.

Now for the bitter. My kids have all had colds but Thursday night Melissa woke up crying because she couldn't breath. Her cough got a lot deeper so I decided I had better take her to the doctor since it was going to be the weekend. So I took her Friday morning. The doctor sent us to the hospital to get chest x-rays to see what she had. Well it turned out to be croup and they gave her a shot of steroids for it. He said it would work in 7 to 24 hours. So I brought her home and she was okay for awhile. She still coughed but she was eating and sleeping fine. Then Sunday night she just didn't sleep. Her cough got even worse and she couldn't hold down anything. So this morning I called the nurse and told her what was going on. She told me to take her back to the hospital and they were going to do more x-rays and test for RSV. The RSV test was not so fun for her but she survived. We went back to see the doctor for the results and he told me she has bronchitis. He said it's an infection in her chest and could be treated with antibiotics. That was bad news but I told him I was glad it wasn't RSV. He told me he forgot he ordered that test. So he looked up the results and regretfully told me she had RSV as well. That's all I need is my nice, fat, healthy, little girl to have RSV. I have been so happy that she's been so healthy. My other two had been on several doses of antibiotics by her age. Anyway, we have a nebulizer and have to give her breathing treatments every 4 hours. She's also supposed to be taking amoxicillin but can't keep it down. So I have to call the doctor again in the morning. I'm hoping they can give her a shot instead. She's not so good at taking medicines. I have to take her back on Wednesday so we'll see if she's getting any better.

That's our weekend fun and saga. Hopefully our week will be better. The picture of her above was taken during all of this sickness. She's still happy for the most part. At least during the day. Not so much at night.