Sick, sick, sick

Ugh. I made a remark last week about how healthy we had been this winter and I jinxed us. Clint was sick all last week and even missed his birthday party on Saturday night. Jack had a cold that turned into impetigo (that hand, foot, mouth thing), so he has been Mr. Pleasant. Lindsey has been throwing up every morning after breakfast and eating very little, which worries me because at her 2 year appt, she was only in the 8th percentile for her weight and anemic. Miracle of miracles, I have avoided getting sick, but since I am typing this, I will probably be the next victim.

We had a family birthday party last Saturday night for all the Karren birthdays (there are 4 of them, 3 being in my family). I made all the food and we had the party at my in-laws since they have a bit more room. We drove home with the van hatch halfway open due to a "new" little tykes cabin being bungeed in the back. The heat was blasting to keep us warm and I was trying my best to stay on the road despite the intense fog and Lindsey screaming her head off. I'm just happy we made it home in one piece. I can't wait until my husband is feeling better!

Life is busy. I am tutoring online 3 days a week and trying to stay on top of all the YW activities and lessons in my beehive calling, Clint is working hard to bring home the bacon and plays a little basketball on the side, and the kiddos seem intent on driving me crazy with the scream/hit sequence (Lindsey screams, Jack hits her, Lindsey screams more, Jack hits her harder). I will be soooooo thankful when this stage passes. Don't get me wrong, my house isn't always pure chaos and I truly do love my children, but they do know how to push my buttons and push they do, all day long. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, eh?

Terrible Twos Round Two

It's official:Little Lindsey Lou Who is 2! The big day was yesterday and she is already showing signs of fun things to come. We celebrated by going to an indoor playground and running around for an hour to burn off some energy. It has been snowing/raining for 3 weeks straight, so we have lots of pent-up energy these days. We played at home for the rest of the day- mostly because Jack never wants to leave the house (he always wants to stay home and play) and I never want to brave the outside world with Lindsey unless it is entirely necessary. After Clint got home, we headed out for ice cream at DQ. Lindsey made a complete mess, but actually sat for more than 2 minutes eating her ice cream.

We had my parents and Chad over Sunday night for dinner and ice cream cake. Lindsey loved her new shopping cart and food (although the cardboard food lasted a whole day before she tore it to shreds :).


Lindsey's birthday was bittersweet. I found out halfway through the day that a dear friend had passed away. She had cystic fibrosis. I met her at a mother/baby group at the hospital right after Jack was born. Four of us new mommies gravitated toward one another and hung on for dear life to each other for the first three years of our babies' lives. We met once a week and let the kids play while we talked, vented,and laughed. We hadn't been meeting as frequently recently since we moved away and our lives became busier, but we still got together whenever possible. She was the sweetest wife and mother. She leaves behind a husband and almost 4 year old little boy. I haven't dealt with a dear friend passing and the grief is overwhelming, especially when I look at my dear little boy and imagine him growing up without me. I am thankful for my belief of eternal families, because it makes it more bearable. Heather will be sorely missed, but she is in a better place and is rid of her sickly body. Life is short. We must make every day count. And I will be reminded of that every year on Lindsey's birthday.

Happy 2009!

Happy 2009! May the coming year be happy, healthy and prosperous!

Merry Christmas!

We had a wonderful white Christmas this year. We had planned to spend a leisurely Christmas Eve cooking, baking and wrapping presents. However, the snow began to fall again and we had to scramble to get out the door to my parents' house before the snow got too deep on the roads (and her house is only 10 minutes away!!). We made it there safely and managed not to forget anything too important.

Clint and Jack spent the afternoon sledding at the local park. Jack was quite the little daredevil on the saucer I am told. Lindsey and I stayed in the warm house while I tried to get her down for a nap. I had no luck, so I spent the afternoon chasing after a curious, cranky toddler. My mom's house is pretty Lindsey-proof, but she still managed to create chaos wherever she went.

We fed the kiddos , read a few Christmas stories, put on a nativity, and put them down for an early bedtime. Then, we had a fabulous Christmas Eve dinner without children! No whining, screaming, flying food! It was heaven.

Christmas morning brought some fun toys from Santa. Jack got the helmet he's been talking about for the last 4 months and Lindsey got a dolly and doll house (she had actually found the dolly the day before when she started unwrapping presents. :()

We spent the morning eating a yummy Christmas brunch and opening presents.

We headed out to Clint's sister's house in the afternoon to visit with the Karren side of the family. We ate curry and lots of jello (for some reason there were 3 jello salads) and had an ice cream bar for dessert. We opened presents and performed our special musical number as a family ("Christmas To Remember" by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton). Jack knew most of the words and sang along while Lindsey danced. We made it home safely in the snow to an ice-cold house (in our hurry to leave on Christmas Eve, I turned the heat off instead of turning it down). We put the kids to bed with tons of blankets and cuddled in our bed with our fleece sheets (which are a dream!!)to keep warm. We definitely had a Christmas to Remember!!