.hitting deductibles, climbing out of windows, new mattresses, and sunshine.

My heavens...life really never slows down a bit does it?  Just when I think things start to get into a groove and I can get ahead a bit, something else hits.  I'm just trying to write down some of the things from the last month before I forget everything that happened.  I hate doing month recaps, but it seems all that I'm capable of these past few months.  So here it is in all it's recap-ness.

The BIG thing that happened this month was sick Eisley.  We got our first ambulance ride and everything.  Nothing like meeting your deductible right out of the gate right? (you can read more about that in her 10 month update).

  We are so blessed by good family and friends.  They helped us through all the madness with watching kiddos, picking up cars, and bringing care packages.  We always feel God's love through the kindness of others.  Thank you a hundred times over for your selflessness!!!

someone left us a sweet care package for the kids filled with puzzles, coloring books, and treats.  Finn said it was the nicest thing ever!!! 

Meg, as is well known is our little miss busy body.  She runs me ragged and seems to never stop.  Getting older has only allowed her to get into MORE things, so it's a never ending battle.  In an effort to keep her out of Finn's toy's I tell Finn to shut his bedroom door as she has not quite acquired the necessary height to open the door knob.  The other morning I went in to his room to coax him into getting ready for preschool instead of playing with his legos.  I shut the door behind me so Meg wouldn't come into bother us.  As usual she sat outside the door crying dramatically because she wasn't allowed in.  After a LONG discussion about having to hurry to get ready I got up to go get the girls and me ready.  To my dismay, I realized Meg had locked the door (in our defense we changed the door knobs around so that Finn wouldn't lock himself IN).  So there we were,  Finn and I locked in Finn's room in our pajamas, with Meg crying frantically on the other side of the door.  I panicked a little as I scrambled to find something to open the door.  Finally I realized I would have to go out the window pajamas, bed head, and all.  I can only imagine if any of my neighbors saw me, what they were thinking.  When I got back in the house, Meg was still laying on the ground outside of Finn's door crying like an abandoned child...seriously!!!

sleeping is the only time this one is still...and even then she moves a lot!

We spent Valentines going out on a lunch date, and getting a new mattress.

The best thing about this February has been the absolutely amazing weather. You really can't beat 60 degrees in February!

.10.

Miss Eisley, you broke into the double digits of life with flare to say the least.  With older siblings, it's almost inevitable that you get all the germs they come in contact with.  Finn and Meg picked up a pretty wicked cold that led to lots of coughing.  I wasn't surprised, or even at all concerned when you picked it up as well.  About the fourth day of this cold you were still running a pretty high fever and coughing a lot so I made an appointment with the pediatrician Monday morning.  They put you on oxygen right away as your O2 levels were between 82/90 (anything below 90 gets you a trip to a hospital).  Once the dr. assessed you, it was decided that an ambulance ride up to Primary Children's hospital was what needed to happen because you were still too low without the oxygen on.  I felt terrible because I just had no idea how bad you were.  Sometimes being a quiet pleasant baby has its draw backs.

 A first for both of us...an ambulance ride up to Primary's.

Once we got to the hospital they deep suctioned you out and watched your vitals.  The respiratory therapist  seemed happy with how you were doing on the oxygen and so they put is in the observation unit to watch how you did for 6 hours.

finally catching a little bit of sleep in the ER waiting to be taken to the observation unit.

 After about 8 hours in the observation unit, the pediatrician felt confident in letting you go home with oxygen, so dad and I got the run down on how to work the tanks, and packed you up ready to go home.  Momma was so tired, but had to stay up waiting for the oxygen concentrator to show up around 12:30 in the morning.

 Momma got to spend a lot of one on one time with you the next day.  It was nice to give my undivided attention to just you.
At the follow up appointment the next day the dr. was still concerned with the crackle in your lungs, so he put you on an anti-biotic.  Within 2 days you were doing so much better and the dr. said it sounded like night and day since the last visit.  You were taken off the oxygen which made both of us very happy!

first night in a week that you slept without oxygen...beautiful!

 You have bounced back to your usual happy self, and have even started moving so much more.  And amidst all the craziness, you popped out your first tooth.  We are so happy to have you healthy and well again.  It's a scary thing to have sick babies.
 We love you little Eisley, happy 10 months baby girl!

.and then he was 4.

I still can't believe I have a four year old, has it really been that long ago since little man made me a mommy for the first time?  Finn is my boy, and I love that he's the first.  He has really taken off this past year with growing up and learning new things.  He is a big help around the house getting the garbage's for garbage day, cleaning up, and making his bed.
His favorite things to do are playing Lego's and building anything, reading, puzzles, playing outside, hot tubbing with daddy, and watching his shows.
He has learned lots of letters and how to write his name.  We are still working on holding pencils the right way (Meg does better then him).
He is loving his tumbling class, especially his donkey kicks.
He is still a momma's boy and I love it.  He is sensitive and kind, but also a little wild and crazy.  He's great at making messes, and saying funny things like, "the boogers won't let me smell".  We couldn't love this little rascal anymore then we do!

For his birthday breakfast he requested doughnuts and a building project.

Among other things this year, he learned that chocolate isn't that bad.  He requested a chocolate tractor cake again, and ate every single bite.   WHAT?!?!? he wouldn't touch the stuff last birthday.

Finn, Abner, and Lilly broke in his new swords with an impromptu joust.

Happy Birthday Finn!  You are a great source of joy in our lives, and we are so happy you are apart of our family!!!

.9.

E,
Happy nine months! You continue to grow and discover the world around you.  It has been a crazy month filled with lots of family of events.  You welcomed in your first new year and tried to figure out what all the fuss was about at Christmas.  You were especially spoiled from Grandma and Grandpa Hoffman who sent you lots and lots of toys.  I think you've enjoyed having the greater variety of toys.
You still have not popped a tooth out or seemed all that curious about crawling or moving yet.  I'm not worried, because I know it is only a matter of time before I won't be able to keep track of you walking around.  The only moving you do is roll around from object to object and you do squirm your way backwards on your back and that seems to satisfy your need to move.
You weighed in at 15.5 lbs at your check up which actually put you on the charts (the first of all my babies),  I think that is because you are strictly formula and food now.  Dr. is happy happy happy with your growth and thinks you are just as pretty as can be.

 Merry Christmas to our happy sweet cheeked baby!

You are loved by all those around you sweet girl and you make our world a brighter place.  Daddy said last night how happy he was you were born, and I couldn't agree more!

daddy gave mommy a heart attack by perching you up on the fridge.  You didn't seem to notice anything different.

.two.

Our little Miss Meg turned two on December 27th.  I often reflect back on her birth, and how incredibly uneventful it was (in the best possible way).  Her birth was the calmest and best out of all three of my babies.  It was like one moment she wasn't there and then she was.  My very first thought about Meg was that she had her daddy's lips.  It was a distinct trait that I immediately picked out, but having been in our lives for 2 years, I can definitely say she has a lot more of her daddy in her then me.  She is spunky and stubborn, a quick problem solver, and an observer of the world.

 She is a girly girl who loves shoes, dress up, and butterfly bows in her hair.

 Grandma and Grandpa Hoffman sent her dress ups for Christmas, and she latched onto the shoes of course.  The morning of her birthday, just like ever other morning,  she had to put them on first thing.

despite being sick, she was still smiling.

She talks a lot and gives her opinion freely.  One of the most common phrases heard in our house is, "I no want that." and "I all done."  the only thing she does more then talking is whining.  It's the sad truth, but this girl knows how to whine.  I'm hoping she'll grow out of some of that this year.

favorite birthday gifts were her purple boots, and doll stroller for her baby gigi.

Meg definitely is a force in our lives, and we love all of her energy and love that she brings with her. Her smiles, kisses, and hugs are freely given, and we can't believe how lucky we are to have her as a part of our family.  we love you Miss Meg!!!

after digging into her cake

.wrapping up December.

I should have done this weeks ago, but it hasn't been one of my highest priorities as of late.  On a good day I feel like I can barley keep my head above water taking care of three young ones, but December and January are especially busy and tend to overwhelm with three birthdays and Christmas and New Years...it's quite a full two months.

We kicked off December with our ward Christmas breakfast.  It was a special event, because for the first time Finn was absolutely stoked about Santa.  He hopped right up and told him exactly what he wanted.  It was nice to see him so social and excited about the whole thing.  Meg sat on his lap but gave him the stink eye the whole time.  I can't blame her really.

At the beginning of December, we took advantage of the unusually mild weather and went to the zoo with Finn's buddy Lilly.  I have to say it was the most enjoyable zoo visit we have ever had.  It was warm enough just for jackets, but NOBODY was there.  I could let the kids run off and pretty much do as they pleased and not worry about them.  And we could sit and watch any of the animals as long as we wanted without other people getting in the way or blocking our view.  Seriously the best visit!

Lilly, Finn, and Meg in the Eagles nest...they wanted pictures with every animal statue they could find...another first.

On the 11th I turned 33...what?!?!?  That still seems strange to me like I'm perpetually stuck at 28 or something.  Lots of love was shown to me from family and friends.  I especially loved the sunrise that morning.  What a beautiful gift from God!

We usually try to make it down to Temple square to see the lights, but it seemed this year we just couldn't make it happen.  So instead we opted for a closer trip to see the Tree of Life in Draper.  It was a beautiful tree, and there was lots of space for the kids to run around and have fun without loosing them in the masses of people.  The picture doesn't do it justice!

Finn had a preschool Christmas party were they sang songs, made candy canes, and had a surprise visit from Santa.  

 It was funny because for awhile he sang the songs, but then became moody and didn't want to participate in anything, but as soon as Santa came in, he lit right up and sang and smiled.

I especially loved the part where he told santa that he had come to his church.  Such a cute little boy!  (also can you tell that he loves that shirt.  Both times he saw santa he was wearing it)

Two days before Christmas the infamous flu of 2014 struck.  Both Meg and Finn started running high fevers, and I just lost all of my holiday spirit.  Sick kids are bad, but sick kids for Christmas are the worst.  I was hoping that by some miracle they would be well by Christmas, but it wasn't meant to be.  We spent Christmas Eve at home instead of with my family doing our traditional Nativity.   I was so bummed about it, but my sister Angie helped lift my mood by bringing us soup and hot bread.  That simple act meant so much to me, and helped me feel the Christmas spirit despite the sickness I was surrounded by.

The only one who seemed unaffected by it all was Eisley.  This is the ONLY picture I got of Christmas morning so that gives you some indication of how the morning went down.  Despite the sick kids we did have a nice Christmas day.  Roy got up early and made a fire in the fireplace, and we had a little time with just the two of us because the kids slept in.  We watched the snow falling outside while we opened our stockings, and it was a peaceful moment that made the day feel special.   After breakfast and a healthy dose of children's ibuprofen, we had Christmas dinner over at my family's house.  It was nice to get out of the house and be around those we love.

The day after Christmas I was out sick in bed for the entire day.  I felt so terrible that Roy had to spend his vacation looking after me and two sick kids, and a baby, but I'm also so grateful that he was there, because I couldn't have done it without him.  By the next day I was feeling a bit better so I took Meg to pick out her cake for her birthday.  That night we had a small celebration with just us since we were still a house of plague.

Finn (who I thought was feeling better by day 5) had fallen asleep on living room floor and was out for the whole cake and candles so it was just Roy and I singing to our sweet sick 2 year old.  Finn went to bed that night with a fever of 103 and Meg woke the next day with a 104 temperature.  It took 6 whole days of HIGH fevers to get this bug out of our systems.  But we are all on the mend and looking forward to a healthier January!

Even though a good portion of our month was spent being sick, it was still a great month filled with lots of happiness and goodness too.  We were shown so much love, and blessed by our friends and family, that it was impossible not to feel Gods love for us!

.a little.

I realized I haven't really given some personal antidotes about Finn and Meg in quite some time.  Most days I catch myself laughing at something those two have done, and I think, "I should write that down so I don't forget."  But as it can clearly be seen, I quickly move on to the tasks at hand and forget.

Finn is my 100% boy who has always loved tractors, trains, and dirt.  As he has grown, that love has only intensified.  For the first year, he actually was excited about Santa and the idea of sitting on his lap.  At our ward Christmas party he excitedly jumped on his lap and listed off about a dozen items...including a cement truck, a grater, and a loader.  Christmas is going to be absolutely magical with him this year.
Most of the time he is a sweet little dude, who loves to give hugs and kisses, and tells me often that he loves me, but like most children he has a destructive and mischievous side.  He often facilitates large messes with Meg if he's is not being supervised.  Like the time a few weeks ago when I was making dinner, he took advantage of my work upstairs to come down and open a bottle of Elmer's glue and proceeded to pour it out all over the brand new carpet in the basement, and provided a marker for Meg to go draw on the couch.  I was livid!  It took me several hours to clean it all up, and I'm still finding hard patches of dried glue in the carpet.  But, like my sister Holly pointed out, it's not sharpie...there is no coming back from sharpie.  It's the little things with kids, right???
He is loving all things preschool, and has also started a tumbling class with our neighbor.  At first I thought if nothing else, it will just give him an hour to burn off some extra energy, but it turns out he actually is listening and learning some skills.

In one of his many mischievous moments, he got the camera down and proceeded to take about 30 pictures of him, Meg, and the office.  I love his incriminating shot!

He is growing up though, and becoming somewhat of a help.  He insists on helping with little chores (which I know won't last for long), and has even started brushing his own teeth- I'm control freak over making sure his teeth are ALL brushed.  He is actually pretty good at it!  He also makes his bed and puts away all of his clothes after they are washed.  They aren't always in the right places, but he's learning.  His latest thing that is driving me crazy is he blows raspberries ALL THE TIME...Roy thinks it's funny...it's not.  But he's so stink'n cute, I deal with it.

Miss Meg is my 100% girl.  She loves bows in her hair, lotion on her hands, and shoes, shoes, shoes, shoes.  The first word out of her mouth every morning is shoes.  The only time she doesn't have shoes on is when she is sleeping, and even then she fights me on it.  Her and Finn are like water and oil, and rarely play well.  Meg doesn't understand personal space, and to an independent 3 year old, that just doesn't sit well.  Every once in awhile when the stars are aligned I will find them quietly in Finn's room where Finn is building and Meg is reading.  That is pure heaven I tell you!  I think Meg's favorite word besides shoes is "NO!"  I don't think she quite grasps its full meaning as she is often asked if she wants something she likes and answers "No".  She is spunky and unrelenting in so many ways that Finn is not.  I can already tell she is going to be a handful.

Meg also tries to help out.  This usually involves pushing a dirty dish cloth across the table mimicking me washing the counters.  She loves to sweep, and put away her clothes as well.  Even though she's not very affective at either, she is watching and learning, and that is a good thing.

My very favorite thing about miss Meg is that she loves the dance.  She is my car dancing buddy, and it makes me incredibly happy!  One of her favorite tunes right now is Feliz Navidad.  It gets an instant response from her seat as she shakes back and forth with her hands in the air.  She tries to snap her fingers with me by moving her little fingers, and it melts my heart!

On of the MANY pictures taken by the pilfered camera.  Finn took a pretty good picture of this sweet one!

Meg is a crazy little ball of energy, and can also be the sweetest and snuggliest of all my kids.  I can't wait to see what the coming year of two year old hood will bring.