Little Chunky Monkey . . .

We have truly enjoyed having the pleasure to take care of our nephew. Odie as my husband originally called him has now become Chunky Monkey. He is the cutest little guy, next to my handsome young man, and he is the happiest baby. The kids love to tickle him and make him giggle, and Jay can do "the claw" with him and he giggles before he even touches him. It is just adorable.

I love his little round belly and his chunky legs. It brings back fond memories of our little rollie pollie pot belly babies.

Look at his adorable face and smile . . .



Isn't he just precious?



Not sure what happened, but all the sudden he was not happy.



He's even cute when he puckers his bottom lip.

Feeling Better

Mackenzie is definitely feeling better. It's been a lot easier than I think we all expected. When Mackenzie woke up Saturday morning I was afraid to ask her how she felt. She had a pretty restful night and only woke up once, at which time she took a small drink. Having had surgery before, I know you typically feel worse the next day. Well, she did ask for some good pain medicine and said it hurt to swallow. However, after she several drinks, and the pain medicine kicked in, she said it didn't hurt so bad. I insisted she spend much of the day resting. She spent quite a bit of time on the couch playing the Wii and watching TV, and she took a couple short naps. At bedtime, she slept with me again and I gave her her second dose of pain medicine to help her sleep better.

Well, she woke up Sunday morning reading to take the hour drive to Jay's church for service. She ate like a little bird all day Saturday - a little applesauce, a little yogurt, and lots of Popsicles. Sunday morning she ate a little bit of applesauce but after church she had a frosty from Wendy's. Later in the day Jay fixed her some mashed potatoes, but she went back to her standby, even had her sister feed her. Then for dinner I fixed one of the kids' favorite dishes, chicken pot pie. She stood by me with this sad look on her face. I suggested she try to eat it as it was pretty moist and soft. SUCCESS. She finally ate something more substantial than applesauce.

Today's been an even better day. I couldn't get her to nap, but she had Jay pull out the hide a bed in the living room and she rested there today. A neighbor friend came over to play, which she can't go outside yet and she can't run, jump or anything strenuous for two (long) weeks. So the little girl came in and played the Wii and just visited with her.

I hope she continues on this same path and that tomorrow and the next will be better each day. I am hoping the hardest part from this point forward will be keeping her from "playing" too hard for the next 11 days.

Mackenzie's surgery

Well, today was the big day. We had to be at the hospital by 8:00 a.m. to get Mackenzie registered and pre-op done for her tonsillectomy which was scheduled for 10:00 a.m. We had to wake her up at 6:30 a.m., which meant she didn't get much sleep last night. We had a late night as we were downtown seeing Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the Ohio Theatre.

She's been great all week and hasn't said one negative thing about her upcoming surgery. We were so proud of her. But then it happened this morning. As we tried several times to wake her up (she is NOT a morning person) she very assertively informed me she was not going. I figured it had finally set in what was going to happen and I was concerned this would be the tone for the morning and an uphill battle. But once she was awake she helped gather a few things to take with her and never had another negative word to say about going.

She was so big - mature - today. When we got to Children's Hospital, she didn't talk much. After I got her registered, we waited a while in the lobby area before they called her back to the pre-op area. They weighed her, checked all her vitals, and confirmed she was healthy enough to proceed with her surgery. She still has a cough and other cold symptoms, but that wasn't a concern. Once the pre-op physical was over they put her in bed 2 where the anesthesiologist visited and explained what would be happening. I was so thankful she explained it all and even to Mackenzie. Shortly there after her doctor came over to say hi and explained how long the procedure would take, 20-30 minutes. While we waited, we watched and listened to things around us and there were little ones, probably less than two years old, in there to get tubes in their ears and we heard the doctor explain that procedure takes less than ten minutes to do. It's amazing how fast they can do these procedures.

She went back to the operating room a little after 10:00 a.m. and we were on our way home by 11:45 a.m. Crazy. I have to say the Popsicle she was so excited about all week just wasn't all that when she woke up in recovery. Even in pre-op she was excited about the fact that she would get a Popsicle after the surgery. Well, they gave her the Popsicle she took one taste of it and then was done with it.

She is doing fine, seems to be a little discomfort and the obvious sore throat, but she hasn't complained too much. She did quite a bit of sleeping. At first she didn't want much to do with anything to eat. She tried pudding and yogurt, but she did finally eat a little bit of applesauce. She has had a few Popsicles since she got home. Hopefully the little sips here and there of the sprite or apple juice will keep her hydrated enough. About an hour ago, she took her first dose of antibiotics and pain medicine. We opted to give her the pain medicine hoping she gets some good solid sleep tonight. By they way, she is sleeping next to me tonight so I'll be close enough if she needs something.







Isn't she precious!! I'm sad she had to go through this, but I know it is the best thing for her. I love her and want her to be happy and healthy.

Our Pretty Puppy, Chloe Bear

The first two photos are before her day at the spa.

Isn't she just adorable!! Well, we are fortunate enough that she doesn't smell like a dog. So we get her groomed about every 5-6 months. We use to brush her all the time, but as she gets older, we get busier, and during the winter months we don't seem to brush her much. She had a couple of matts and it was time to get her groomed.

Look how pretty she is now with her close cut.

I love her pink bow.

Zack's turn . . .

Well, Mackenzie was without a fever all day Saturday until 6:24 p.m. Then she ran a fever all day Sunday. But she has been officially without a fever for more than 24 hours. YEAH!!

Poor Zack woke up yesterday, came into the kitchen and said he felt light headed. I could see the goosebumps on his body. So, I took his temp and sure enough he was at 102.6 degrees. Unlike Mackenzie, he can have ibuprofen. Of course his first reaction or comment was, "I don't have to do school." Okay, he got me there. I didn't make Mackenzie do school the first couple of days she had a fever. He did a lot of watching TV, playing the Ninetendo, and the Wii. However, before lunch time he did take a math test (got a 92%) and he read for a while.

He was actually playing Mario Carts on the Wii with Jay, Cassie, and Mackenzie before we ate dinner. They took a break to get their food, we had a smorgasbord of leftovers, and within two minutes Zack was asleep on the couch.



We let him sleep because he absolutely refused he needed any rest. We all know we need lots of rest when we are sick, especially when we are feverish. He woke up about an hour or so later and was complaining he felt worse. Can you believe he had a fever of 104.3. I expressed the importance of getting his body temp down and explained he needed to take a cold bath. That didn't go over very well. Keep in mind, it took almost pinning him down earlier to let me put one of those Be Koool gel pads on his head that is suppose to help keep kids comfortable while feverish (yes, we used cold wash cloths, but at least this gel sheet sticks to their head and doesn't fall off when they move). Needless to say, Jay had to encourage Zack that the cold bath or shower was in his best interest. After his cold bath his temp was down and hasn't spiked that high again. Poor boy still is running between 100 - 101 temp today, and complaining of a headache.

The question or two now is . . . how much longer will Zack be sick? and Will Cassie get it next? Hopefully, Mackenzie will keep getting better each day as she is still scheduled for her tonsillectomy on Friday.

More info on Jay's Call Process

This map shows how the synod Jay has been assigned to, Western North Dakota, is broken down into seven conferences. This synod has 192 (or 197) congregations and 73,018 members. Jay actually had an informative conversation yesterday with the bishop.

If you remember, I had mentioned before that we would like to get closer to my family. My family lives in Iowa, but you cross the river and you are in Nebraska. One of the congregations that Jay's information is being presented to is in the upper most northern part of the Upper Missouri region (that's the pink one) . . . again could we get any further from my family? Come on.

We all are beginning to adjust to the different resources that will be available to us in the great state of ND. Apparently, there is only one Sam's Club in that whole area of western ND and it is located in Bismarck. There is a Target store in Minot and Bismarck, a couple of Wal-Marts in Minot and Bismarck, a Kohl's in Bismarck, Barnes & Noble in Minot and Bismarck, Payless in Minot and Bismarck, and Jo-Ann craft store in Minot & Bismarck. Oh yeah, and there is a Starbucks in Minot and Bismarck -- Cassie loves Starbucks and she keeps talking about getting a job there. I already do my share of online shopping, so that doesn't bother me, but I do like to get out and shop sales without paying shipping and handling.

Oh yeah, I hope we live somewhere where if I need to find a part-time evening job I will be able to. And then Cassie will be of working age, so she will need to find a job to help her save money for her upcoming car, she's less than two years away from driving.

I have had an opportunity to communicate with homeschoolers in ND, and the research I've done shows there are resources and support in Minot and Bismarck. We have been reading tidbits about ND and books I have ordered for our ND state study started arriving this past week.

I know we will be together as a family wherever we end up in ND, and that is the most important thing. But, yes there's a but, I hope we are close enough to things to do things with the kids and close enough to things to have the resources we need to be financially and educationally fit.

Hangin' at the Zoo

One day last week, Jay took the kids to the zoo. It was a comfortably warm day and they had a great time spending some time with just dad. The pictures tell all . . .














. . . need I say more.

I'm glad they had fun!!

Our sick little one . . .

One of the things that really gets to me as a parent is when one of the kids is sick. Mackenzie has had a rough week and a half.

Last week, she had to have a tooth extracted (it was scheduled) on Mon., March 9th and they had to put in a spacer. Well, she got home and was tired and just wanted to rest. So, she got pampered and spent quite a bit of time in our bed resting. But by the evening she was wanting to go out and play with friends. She seemed fine. The only thing was we really couldn't get her to eat, and I didn't force any liquids down her either. I thought for sure by Tuesday she'd be ready to eat. No. So she'd take a bite here and there of some yogurt, a milkshake, applesauce, and drink some. But we really couldn't get much in her. Well, she woke up on Wed. (the 11th) shaking, had an upset stomach, and really thirsty. She drank a glass of water and before we knew it she didn't keep it down. This went on for about three hours. I called the dentist and then the pediatrician. The dentist said it had nothing to do with the extraction. The pediatric nurse said to watch for dehydration (I think she was already border line dehydrated), but get clear fluids into her. By mid afternoon she was back to herself, eating and drinking with no problems. However, our co-op policy requires 48 hours without vomiting, so she had to miss her second week in a row; the week before her brother and sister had severe coughs and cold symptoms so I kept them home.

Well, this week started out better until bedtime Tuesday (17th) night. She went to bed and then was up an hour later saying she couldn't go to sleep. I guess she didn't realize she had already been sleeping for an hour. She was coughing so I went in to see if she wanted to take some cough medicine. When I was giving her the medicine I noticed how red her face was and how hot her hands felt. So, I broke out the thermometer and sure enough she was running a 103.2 temperature. What!? She had been fine all day - she had been outside playing with her siblings and some neighborhood kids. I gave her some children's acetaminophen, which we all know just doesn't quite work the same as ibuprofen, but she can't have any ibuprofen since she is scheduled for a tonsillectomy surgery on May 27th.

Well, the night was rough and uncomfortable for her, and somewhat sleepless for me. After talking with a fellow mom, whose kids were sick with strep and Mackenzie had been with a few days earlier, I phoned the pediatrician to find out if she should be tested for strep, especially since she is scheduled for surgery (totally unrelated). The strep test came back negative, so the doctor informed me that there is a crazy viral thing going around that has a really high temp for three to five days and then the cold symptoms, which she has, get worse. Yeah!!

So, poor Mackenzie has been sick from school (the other two wanted the days off since she was off - no way) and having to find other things to do while we did school. All day today her temperature hovered around 100.9, but tonight when we put her to bed she has no fever, she was actually 98.5. I hope the fever is gone!! The poor thing has been wiped out by the fever.

This was Mackenzie last night right before bed - she fell asleep while the others were reading quietly to themselves.


The kids did take breaks in between school subjects to help entertain her. Other than the cough, runny nose, and the temperature she has been okay.



She has been a true trooper watching through the front window as Cassie and Zack play outside with friends. She has been coloring, making sculptures with Play-doh, and playing board games. She actually played Hangman and Scrabble today with her dad. Wait, she might have been sick and didn't do any textbook work, but I do believe she covered art, spelling, reasoning, vocabulary, and strategies the last couple of days. Oh yeah, she did have to miss co-op for the third week in a row and she was greatly sad. I hope she is over with the fever so she can venture outside and get some fresh air.

HAPPY 14th BIRTHDAY CASSIE!!

Well, on the 14th Cassie turned 14. Can you believe she is 14. I think that means I'm getting old(er). Her birthday fell on a Saturday, which of course is the day she helps deliver the weekend shopper bags. Unfortunately, we had so much going on we couldn't work it out and she had to still help deliver. So, we did let her sleep in, but we finally woke her up. Jay sang to her and then she opened her presents.

WAKE UP, birthday girl.



Her siblings gave her a movie and a book on her favorite mammal.



The first thing Cassie asked while I was taking pictures was if her hair looked okay. Can we say "teenager"?

Learning something new

Well, my cake class started and I just finished the second class of the level three course. This class is suppose to teach me how to do some basics with fondant, make a lot more different flowers with royal icing, and then the last class (in two Mondays) we will construct a two tier cake. So this last class, we covered a cake in fondant and then made it look like a present by adding a bow. It was actually pretty fun . . . it looks like I'll explore the fondant a little more and take that class in April.

More Fun at CMA

After we toured the Egyptian exhibit, Zack and Jay dressed up and posed for a picture . . . or two.

How FUN!!

Family time at the museum

Well, Saturday we decided to spend some time together at the Columbus Museum of Art participating in the 1st Saturday program. The March program focused on ancient Egypt. First we visited the To Live Forever exhibit and played an object match-up game. Then we got to make a clay canopic jar. Actually, Mackenzie, Zack, and Jay made jars. Cassie didn't want to so she took pictures, and I used some of the leftover clay to make a small pot. After the jars were made, we watched the 8th Floor Improv Group.

We made a day of it, so instead of rushing back home so Cassie and I could deliver the weekend shopper bags, we went out for lunch and then checked out our new Target store.

Here Mackenzie is working with her air dry clay.

Zack worked quickly on the bottom of his canopic jar.

Mackenzie wanted a tall skinny base, so she started over with the bottom of her jar.

I think Jay was having as much, if not more fun than the kids.

Mackenzie shows off her giraffe.

And Zack with the top to his canopic jar, which is an elephant.

Nice job guys. It was nice to spend a Saturday with family instead of being consumed with delivering.

The State and Synod Assignment

Can you figure it out by the state flag??



Well, Jay got a call yesterday from the bishop in western North Dakota. Yes, you read correctly, western North Dakota. We knew that any of the three states (Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota) within region 3 would be a possibility, but we, as a family, really had our hearts set on South Dakota. One of the main reasons we were interested in SD is because it is a lot closer to my family and we were thinking we would be able to visit with them more. As of right now, we are 12-13 hours from my family and it doesn't look like we are going to be much closer to them in western North Dakota. In addition to that, we are hoping to continue our home eductaion, but I've read some things about home schooling in the state of ND, which I find greatly intimidating.

Now what . . . well, we wait, AGAIN to get more information on the next part of this process. In the meantime, we are starting a new state study. Can you guess what it will be?

(S)He found the money . . .

Remember not too long ago I posted pictures and talked about how the kids helped Zack dig through the trash to find some money he lost and possibly threw away. Well, after digging through all the trash cans he still did not find the money. So we just assumed he dropped it in the parking lot or the store when we left.

Well, that is not the case. You know how you tell your son to look everyone . . . jean pockets (which I double checked with the laundry), coat pockets, bedroom nook and crannies, anywhere and everywhere!! So, the other day the kids are outside talking with our wonderful mail lady, Debbie, and all the sudden Zack comes in yelling he found his money. Actually, Mackenzie found it in the coat pocket of Zack's coat (one of many).

Yeah for Mackenzie!! So, Zack rewarded her by buying her some Pokemon cards.

500 BOXES

Mackenzie has been a busy little Brownie. This cute, quiet and somewhat introverted (if she doesn't know you) little girl has blown all our minds with her Girl Scout selling capabilities. We were so excited when she sold 412 boxes for her initial order. She only wanted to get to the next prize level of 450 before March 3rd, so we had plenty of time to get her out and sell only 38 boxes.

Well, the weather did not cooperate at all. We had the ice, the snow, and just bitter cold. Finally, the weather cooperated with our schedule and she ventured out on Saturday to sell. I told her to aim for 20-25 and then she could probably earn the remaining boxes at the booth or booths she would be working with her troop. After an hour or so, Jay called me to let me know she had sold 55 more boxes and now then new goal was 500. So, after a couple of hours she came home with a total of 86 boxes sold which put her at 498. Well, a family member bought the last two to put her at 500. Then on Sunday she hung out at the booth with her troop selling more cookies.

Well, I guess you could say when it comes to selling and earning prizes there is not a stranger Mackenzie would not approach, introduce herself and ask "How many boxes would you like to buy?"