Today I Watched My Baby Planking.

So close to crawling!!!  Go Ellie Bellie!

Today I'm a Tad Homesick.

I really have gotten used to living here in Idaho but every once in a while I get hit with a yearning to go back to the Pacific Northwest and see my family (mom, dad, and sibs).  That is how I'm feeling right now. 

We did get to go back the last week of July and we spent most of our time just chillin' with extended family.  We did take a day to walk around downtown Seattle.  We took pictures so I'm finally gonna post them. 

(at a fountain on the waterfront)

 (daddy and elle)

(i think this is a fireboat or coast guard or something like that.)



(the new ferris wheel!  the line was sooooo long we decided to save our ride for another time.  another year.)



(part of a new, cool sculpture we found on the water front.)

(my favorite part of the sculpture.  love these fish!)

(britt and ash enjoying the sculpture.)

(another ferris wheel shot.)

(took this as we were going into pike place market.)

(we went to rocky mountain chocolate factory.)

(there were soooooooo many delicious looking choices!!!)

(it was such an awesome treat!)

(we also made a quick visit to the gum wall.  next time i'll think to bring along some gum so we can add to it.) 

We visited for a whole week.  It felt more like 3 days.  Ash and Britt ask to go back and visit Nana and Bonka (Grandpa) regularly now.  I wish we could but it just won't be happening for at least another year.  Of course they don't understand that so I just say, "Not today."  :(



Today I Just Want to Be Reassuring.

I'm still here.  We're ok.  I have some catching up to do now.  Again.  I will probably be back dating to catch up.  So look past this post to see what we've been up to the past two weeks.  :)

Today I Went to the Zoo.

We decided to take the girls and go see the Idaho Falls zoo.  When we first drove up, Tony and I looked at each other and exchanged dubious faces.  It looked to be about the size of a postage stamp.  It was deceiving though.  It was bigger than I thought but not big enough for elephants (much to Ash's disappointment).

(britt-britt in front of some of the bird cages)

 

(i look like a mama duck.  we fit right in with the animals!)

 

 

(flamingos packed in their pen like sardines in a can.)

 

 

(britt with her animal personality.  don't let the innocent face fool you!)

 

 

(i took so many pictures of them sitting on these crates.  sadly, this was the best one of the lot.)

 

 

(the lazy, lonely lion.)

 

 

(more britt)

 

 

(macaw)

 

 

(elle and i)

 

 

(my oldest and youngest)

 

 

(roaring on the lion)

 

 

(a pelican.)

 

 

(gorgeous tiger)

 

 

(looking at the river.)

 

 

 (z is for zebra with a guinea hen friend.)


The End.  :D

Today I Interviewed My Children.

I'm going to try to do little interviews with my girls, at least a couple times per year. I simply asked them each some "getting to know you"questions, most that will probably change as they age. I know they will get such a kick out of them as they get older. As of right now they are a bit young, though Ash was pretty into it.

P.S. It may be a sideways video at the moment, but YouTube assures me that will be updated and righted shortly. I hope so.  If it is still on its side and it bugs you, the link to go directly to YouTube,  where it IS right side up, is here.
 

Today I Played with My Food.

We had a fun snack.  I got the idea from Family Fun.

(the grapes are cut in half and so is the apple.  the eyes are peanut butter chips and the mouth is mini chocolate chips.)

The girls loooooved their "ottopusses."

There WERE pretty tasty!

And, as you can see, super easy to put together

Today I Stuck with the Basics.

Have kiddos that aren't feeling their best means just stripping the schedule bare and doing only what HAS to be done.  For me that means three meals, a clean kitchen, only necessary laundry, clutter control, a quick vacuuming of the main floor, and being available to my kids 24/7. 

Ash and Britt looooove blankets.  Their blankets are almost never left in their bedroom.  They drag them all over the house and wear them, roll in them, have picnics on them, carry bundles of toys in them and fight with them. 

We've been doing a lot of wallering like this lately.  :)

 (blanket babies)

 

 

Today I Sat My Baby Up. And She Stayed!

Elle is 6 months and sitting up very well. 

Just gotta share the cuteness.  :)

 

 I'm head over heels about this kid.

Today I Diagnosed My Child with Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease.

I figured it was inevitable.  My siblings were starting to come down with it when we left Seattle.  Britt got sick on Monday but only threw up that day too (thankfully!).  She also had a fever all day Tuesday and yesterday and I saw one red spot on one of her fingers Tuesday night. 

By Wednesday morning her face, hands and feet were covered in blisters and they hurt her.  Poor thing.  There is nothing to be done about it.  It's a nasty virus.  I just keep giving her echinacea, Tylenol and Motrin.  We're avoiding acidic foods too since they burn the blisters in her mouth. 

(sad, little hand.  the other one looks a lot worse!)

She has had a hard time sleeping and last night Tony had to set up a play yard for her in the living room.  She just kept waking up and screaming.  I was afraid she was going to wake Ash up (they share a room).  He slept on the sofa next her and there must have been something comforting in that because she didn't wake up again until morning.

She hasn't cried as much today.  I'm hoping that means she over the worst of it, though it certainly doesn't look any better.

(poor, little blister-face!  if i could just break her of the finger sucking habit, maybe she wouldn't get sick so much?)

I'm afraid Ash is next because she was running a temperature this afternoon.

**sigh**  These poor little things are really getting beat up by illnesses this Summer!

I was looking online for information about this virus and came across this post that made me smile.  Thought I should definitely share.

Today I Had a Flashback.

Happy August 1st!  Stop going by so quickly Summer!!!!!  Sheesh!!!

I've been posting on this little blog for a bit over two years now.  I thought it would be fun to go back and remind you of the posts from August 1st in 2011 and 2nd in 2010.  And post a couple old pictures too.

August 1st, 2011 - Water Balloons

(britt & ash, back in august 2011)

August 2nd, 2010 - Road Trip

(ash & britt, back in august 2010)

and I HAVE to include August 3rd, 2010 because it was a post about a trip to where we live now! 
Haha!