Playhouse or Firehouse????

We are making more changes to our playhouse out back.

The slide was WAY too steep!

No one liked to go down it, cause they would end up with a bruised bum!

So we had to fix that...and make a few other changes...

So this is about halfway done.

The railing is actually up, but it was too late and too dark by the time we got that up, that I don't have a picture.

But the most exciting addition...

THE FIRE POLE!!!

They haven't been able to try it cause the cement isn't dry yet...

But they are so excited to have it on there.

We are gonna put the stairs on the other side of the slide...we haven't decided if we will do MORE stairs, or just move the existing ones..

We will see.

I have really cute fabric to make curtains and stuff...

And the whole thing needs to be painted.

Don't be surprised if I post one day with a RED Firehouse playhouse!

Under the new platform is a great little area for Elsie...so I am sure we will do something fun under there for her.

And don't sorry...I will be sure to update any broken bones due to that fire pole!

My boy.

Oh man...why does he have such a hold on me?

This little boy, no matter how rotten, could do no wrong in my eyes.

There I said it.

He is my little boy, and I love everything about him.

Even the fact that he likes bugs...and isn't afraid of much...

And I even laugh at how messy he is...and how he can find and make a mess anywhere he goes!
Yep, that is sour cream and sherbet....I am sure it was yummy...right?

How could you not love that little face...

Is that not the best smile???

This little boy is the perfect completion to our family and I am so thankful for him everyday.

His daddy kinda likes him a little bit too.

(This is Dads idea of a quick bath....Porter was lovin' it!)

********************

We finally took Porter in to the doctor today.

He had double ear infections when Elsie got her tonsils out...and he still hasn't quite gotten better from that.

His nose still ran, his ears still hurt...he was still sad and fussy.

So Brent took him to Dr. Allie today and sure enough...ear infections!

So now we have a stronger antibiotic to try to get rid of it.

I hope it works.

It makes me sad when he is so sad.

I kinda LOVE this boy.

(Just writing about him makes me want to go scoop him out of bed and hold him cause I put him to bed screaming....and I bet he needs some mommy hugs!)

Happy Madi!

This school year has brought a whole new Madi to our household.

We still have our bad moody days...

But for the most part, she is a very happy girl with a lot less attitude then before.

She is loving school, and doing very good in it.

She has already moved into math that I am not so sure I can help her with...isn't that SAD!!!

Good thing Dad is a math whiz!!!

Madi really is such an amazing part of our family.

There is a reason she is my first born.

She is very OLD for her age and a big helper with the kiddos.

I know I can rely on her and I just LOVE that!

But I also need o remember she is just KID and still needs to act like one sometimes!

I love you Madi Bell!!!

New life...

For an old sweater...

Okay...so it wasn't old...just didn't fit me right anymore.
So Family picture time is coming up...so of course that means ALTERATIONS!!!
Ha ha...if anyone remember the story of the outfits last year, they will know what I mean!
I love Madi in green, and I love this sweater...so why not make one fit the other?
I need to figure out what pants for her to wear and a shirt for underneath...but I think it turned out cute!
*********************
On a side note...
Did you know that if you drive off with the gas hose STILL IN YOUR CAR it has a spot to snap off so the gas doesn't come flowing out???
Well, it does.
I don't need to tell you why I know this, but let's just say that I should not be the one to fill the gas tank anymore!

Guitar videos...

(This is Cassi's Taylor Swift pose...she had to do it! I sure hope we get to take this girl one day to a Taylor Swift concert! She would be the happiest girl on the planet!!!)

After a lot of frustration....
I finally figured out how to post some video. It used to be so much easier!

So I hope you enjoy them, cause it is for you guys out there that Cassi doesn't get to see very often, and I can't put a video in a blog book...so these are for YOU!

*********

The first video starts out sideways...sorry...

She had been practicing for a while before I got the camera out...so she is a little worn out, but still does a great job.

She is doing so good!

I love to sit and listen to her play...even her pretend jamming on the guitar sounds better then it did before lessons.

So much fun!

Keep up the hard work Cass!

Another big game!

Yes...Elsie LOVES her Broncos!!!

But today she was a little more interested in game FOOD then the actual game!!!

**************************

Today was a busy BUSY day!

We had our yard sale...it was a lot of fun.

Not a MAJOR success, but we got a lot of stuff gone, which is what we wanted!

While I was doing yard sale stuff Brent made our house sparkling clean and took the boy to go get a part so he could fix my cars air conditioning.

It has been broken...and it was very unpleasant!!!

So Brent took Porter to one of those places that you get to get the parts out of dead cars.

Brent said that Porter was in car heaven!!!

He found the part he wanted...

The one that the dealership wanted to charge $360 for...and he got it for $15.

It sure is great to have a handy man around!

***************************

And now we are watching the game...

So I better go!

School Carnival

Tonight was the school carnival.

Every year...i don;t really want to go.

It is a mad house of kids and adults and LINES!

And no time to spend your tickets!

But we went anyway...and they all had a good time.

And it is for the school, so that is good too.

The big girls came home with blue and orange hair all ready for the big game tomorrow!

Go BRONCOS!

*************************

My friend and I are having a yard sale tomorrow.

Should be fun.

So if you are in the area...stop by.
I gotta go price items now.

Make believe...

While my friend Jenni and I were making signs for the yard sale we are having this weekend....the big kids were using their imagination.

The whole side of our house has nothing there...I need to figure out something to do with that space...

But the kids turned it into a house.

With a master bedroom with a baby crib...

a bedroom for the kids.

And complete with a living room and T.V. to watch.

Very creative, girlies.

Madi made the T.V. for them and I am sure had a lot of say in the arrangement of the house.

She is very into 'arranging' things.

Boy's cuts...

I really didn't plan to document every one of my little boys haircuts...but I guess it is turning out that way.

I usually document the girls cuts...but that happens so rarely compared to a boy cut!

Anyway...he is just so darn cute that it is hard NOT to take his picture!

Can you see how long it was getting over his ears...and it would flip out in random spots...Dads was the same way...so it was time for a cut.
Porter went first...
Then he helped out a bit with Dads hair.
He is such a good boy.

And a little glimpse of what he might look like with dark hair...
*********************

I finally made my Grape Jelly today.

It is so pretty.

Now I need to make some home made bread!

Rock Star Cass!

I can't even tell you how much I love that Cassi plays the guitar.

She does so good, and it is so fun to watch her!

I took some video with my phone...but the file was too big to send it to my e-mail...

But I plan to post a video soon of Cassi playing her guitar.

I can't wait until she is good enough to sing along with her songs...'cause I LOVE her singing voice too!

In case you wanted to know...

Just if you were wondering...

We are all sleeping through the night now.

And it makes me so happy!

The extra sleep hasn't really helped him to not tease Elsie by taking her sippy, and it hasn't helped him to stay clean....ever...but we are still happy about the extra sleep.

She's gone...

We are so sad that Emmy is gone...

But we are SO HAPPY that she came to visit us!

It made for a really fun weekend...with a VERY happy Elsie!

After Emmy left, we were getting ready for church and Elsie said to me that she gets to see Emmy at church.

I told her no, that Emmy had to go home.
She didn't believe me.

But she was fine when we got to church and Emmy wasn't there...
Thanks, Emmy, so much for taking the time to come see our little family.

We all have a special place in our hearts for you.

We LOVE you Emmy!

Go Boise!

They did it again!!!

Of course!

We couldn't get it on TV cause we don;t have the channel it was on...

But thanks to Dussy Boy, he found a place we could watch it online!!!

Thanks man!

Speaking of Dussy Boy...

I believe you made and LOST a bet.

So I am publicly asking you to prove your loyalty to the Broncos and send us a picture of you wearing your Orange and Blue!

Worms!

We are lucky enough to have some new great neighbors move in behind us.

It has been a rental since we moved in our house...so it is so nice to finally have someone there for good!

Well, it happens that this new neighbor works for Jaykers, a tree wholesaler.

This weekend he invited us to a friends and family special where you could go pick a tree, any tree, any size, for $75!!!

Great deal, right???

Well, we had a couple spots that needed replacing...

Like the peach tree....

And the dead tree from the dumb nursery that tore the root ball off....

So we went out there this morning to pick out a couple trees.

I got one that sells for $500...for $75!

You can't get much better than that, right?

Well, Brent is working...

I had the trees delivered here...

And I started to dig the holes for the tree, to save my hubby some work when he gets home.

And that is when they found the WORMS!

I think they gathered about 35 worms.

They made, in Cassi's words, a 'Habitat' for the worms.

It kept them busy, and NOT FIGHTING for quite a while!

Porter was a little unsure...but he still held one.

Elsie didn't really want anything to do with them.

She would look at them, but didn't want to get too close.

**************************

Porter had a hard time figuring out the wheel barrel.

First he tried to grab if from behind and lift it...which was pretty funny.

I think he figured out that this way works better.
*************************

I bottled 10 more jars of Grape juice today...

I also have about 30ish cups waiting to be turned into grape jelly...

I am thinking it would make great neighbor Christmas gifts!

We 'heart' pizza...

We made some home-made pizza tonight.

YUMMY!

And to make it even better...(and to get Elsie to east it)...I made them into heart pizza's.

It was a big hit and I pretty sure I won't be allowed to make home-made ROUND pizza's ever again!

*************************

It is so great to have Emmy here.

Yes, my kids go to her when they are sad instead of me...

But I sure love how much they love her.

There is nothing else that lights Elsie up as much as her Emmy...well, Strip might have her tied...

As long as she has those two...she is a very happy girl!

*************************

My mom sent some grapes down with Emily.

So today we juiced and canned grape juice all day.

I plan to make some grape jelly tomorrow.

It really is kinda fun and addicting!

Thanks, Mom, for all the grapes!

**************************

She's HERE!!!

After all the waiting..she is FINALLY here!!!

Elsie has talked about this at school non-stop...her teachers wrote a little note to me telling us to have a fun weekend with Emmy!

Elsie went to school again, happy as can be.

She had a great day...

Emmy came around 3:30 and she has been by Emmy's side ever since.

They played with horses...Elsie raced back and forth...played with Playdoh.

It is gonna be a fun weekend!

We all LOVE Emmy!

Porter made it through the night again last night.

I think he cried for just over a half hour.

So maybe 15 min. tonight...

And then we are scott free....all done with crying through the night.
Right?

***************

I also canned some pears today.

It is a very rewarding thing to can your own food.

I love hearing those tops seal!

I did it...

I let THIS little boy...

Cry the night away.

********

This boy is spoiled by his Mommy dear.

I know it.

I am aware that my adorable rotten boy is ADORABLY ROTTEN!

But two nights ago...he ruined our midnight dates.

I LOVE to have a little cuddle with him in the middle of the night.

Yes, I know it is my fault that he still gets up.

Well...two nights ago...he was up...he stayed up...he was goofy and wired, and didn't want cuddling...and wouldn't go back to sleep.

I wanted sleep.

So I made an executive decision.

No more seeing me during the night.

I have tried to let him cry himself back to sleep before...but it just breaks my heart to hear him calling my name in such a sad little voice.

But I think he made me mad enough two nights ago, that it helped me through last night.

That is when I made him cry himself back to sleep.

It took an hour....

It was a sad hour.

Yes, I wanted to hold him and cuddle him...but in my head I thought...

"It is either an hour of him crying himself back to sleep and I go back to sleep, or I get up and down and up and down for 2-3 hours."

I thought the one hour was a better option.

I plan to let it happen again tonight.

I hope he gets the hang of it and just DOESN'T wake up.

I am sure that will happen.

Cause really, what almost 2 year old doesn't sleep through the night???
So it is about time.

And he still loved me this morning after I made him cry himself to sleep.

So I am sure he will continue to love me if I make him do it again tonight, right?

***************

Elsie went to school and again and had an awesome time.

She cried for just a minute when she got there...but had a great day and even came home on the bus.

And she loved that!

And she came home and had another sweet card in the mail from Grandma Na and Papa P.

She was very excited.

She is a big fan of getting stuff in the mail.

Thanks to everyone for spoiling her while she was recovering.

It really helped us a lot!

The kiddos

This is what life is all about.

Even when they keep us up all night...

Even when they fight us tooth and nail over everything...

Even when they say I am the meanest Mom in the world...

Even though they are my own little tornadoes...

Even though they fight...all the time...

Even after all that and more...

I couldn't ask for better kids.

They are so unique...it is so funny to see four completely different people come from the same family!

Each of them bring smiles to our faces...

And we would do anything for them...

We really were blessed to have these guys in our little family.

***********************

Elsie went to all of school by herself today!!!!

YAY!

Miss. Jenny said she cried for about 15 minutes...but then they started talking about Strip and she got happy.

And she was great the rest of the day.

I think I am gonna try to send her HOME on the bus tomorrow.
We will wait to send her to school on the bus until next week.

Baby steps...

She seems to be adjusting well.

She came home and had some down time while Porter napped.

She was definitely VERY tired.

I hope she sleeps great tonight!

Porter, on the other hand was up ALL night!

I don't know is going on!

Ear infections again?

Maybe his two year molars coming in???

I don't know...all I know is that he needs sleep, cause I need sleep!
The big girl go home and Madi went right to Activity days and Cassi had guitar.

Madi is excited about starting activity days again...with new friends and new leaders.

Cassi is learning a new song on the guitar...Frère Jacques

(The tune to 'Are you sleeping' or 'Where is thumbkin')

She is very excited and it is a bit more complicated cause she is moving between three different strings.

Up until now she has stayed on one single string for the songs.

So she is excited, and I am excited for her to learn more and more!!!

Elsie went to SCHOOL!!!

Look who went to school today!!!

She was very excited as we drove there...

Very excited to see her friends and teachers...

Very excited to go to the library...

Not so excited when I tried to leave her.

I stayed in the parking lot and told them to call me if she didn't calm down.

Well, they called...worried she was gonna throw-up, and that was what I didn't want to happen.

So I went back, and I played some more...did circle time with them and then I went with her for her Physical Therapy...that was fun to watch her...

We went back to class and did some more stuff.

I knew she was getting tired, so I asked if she was ready to go home.

She was ready and went to grab the backpack...then she saw the Capri Suns...and that means SNACK TIME!!!

So she said she wanted to stay for snacks, and I told her I would come get her after snacks and she was totally fine with that.

YAY!!!

So I came home and fit a run in before I went back to get her.

She was so happy!

She loves everyone there.

I hope it goes well tomorrow.

I don't think we will try the bus until next week!!!

Way to go Elsie!!!

**************************

We got to go out to eat tonight with rich uncle Scotty!!!

Okay, he isn't our uncle...but he should be.

Scott is the one who moved my Annie all the way to Minnesota...so I am still bitter towards him, but dinner helped a little.

Thanks Scott for taking us out...

But really, just bring Annie back!!!

Sunday Bike Ride

This afternoon we decided to take a little stroll.

It was a nice afternoon, and we needed to get out of the house.

Everyone did good besides the occasional grab at Elsie from Porter.

And Cassi wanting to squat (to go potty) by the side of the road.

Silly girl.

We went to the church and back, so that is a good 2 miles.

Great job kiddos.

I would love to get bikes for Brent and I.

Then we would need something for Porter and Elsie...but I couldn't have something where they were together...that wouldn't go so well.

So maybe those baby seats on the back of Brent and I.

That would be fun.

Maybe someday.

And we even got to send pictures to Dad from the cell phone, so he could be there with us too.

***************************

Church went pretty good.

Elsie did get exhausted and crashed when we got home.

But I think I might try school tomorrow.

I am still not totally sure yet...but I figure the teachers can call me if I need to come get her.

But then I don't want her to think that will always happen.

Oh, I don't know.

I really want to get her back to school, but I also don't want going back to be traumatic and ruin the whole year!!!

Oh, what should I do?

Sept. 11

Today is a day I will never forget.

I remember holding my brand new baby girl thinking I would never get to raise her.

I know, a bit dramatic, but I DID just have a baby, so I had every right to be dramatic.

But really, I knew life would never be the same.

And then all the emotion and pride I felt when we saw all the Firefighters running in, while everyone else was running out.

That is what they do, they save people.

Brent and I have read and heard many stories of people who were saved by those Firefighters who lost their own lives.

Amazing men.

That is how they are made.

Not just New York Firefighters.

Every Firefighters.
Even my very own.

***************************

We had a pretty laid back day.

Elsie still has a rough time in the morning..but she is getting over it quicker and quicker.

Then the kids and I went to yard sales.

I think we all had a fun time.

No one even complained!

But I did learn that you can't go yard sale-ing with something that you want in mind.

Cause you won't find it.

I want a large wall clock, like about 2 ft. across.

But I don't want to pay much for it...

So that is what we looked for today.

Oh well, I just hung some paper on the wall the size of the clock I want, to 'save' the space for when I do get a clock.

I will find my good deal somewhere...

The girls have been really into riding their bikes.

It is nice for them to have something to do together that they don't fight about.

They also love riding with their new neighbor friend.

****************

I am gonna attempt church tomorrow with Elsie.

It will give me a good idea if she is ready to go to school on Monday or not.

We will see.

Another project done

We used to have some old barn wood behind the TV.

I wanted a change...so we took it down.

It took me a while to figure out how we wanted to do it...but we finally decided.

So this is what we put together .

I love it...and I am so excited to get pictures put up to make it look even better.

I love projects...

And I love projects that my hubby and I get to do together...

*********************

Elsie got another present today.

Dussy Boy sent her a poster of her Strip.

She was so excited!!!

And lucky for me, I had some hand-me-down frames...

Elsie wanted it pink, so we painted it pink, and I put some green material on the mat.

Now it is hanging right by her head at night.

And she LOVES it!!!

She has been doing so great today.

I am so excited to have my Elsie back!

Sweet...

Elsie got another card today.

It was another one from Emmy.

Emmy sent her a cute little bathrobe card telling her that she was proud of her for taking a bath the other day...it was so cute!

But you know what Elsie's favorite part was....

The picture Emmy included.

It is Elsie and her Emmy.

Love it.

She stared at it for minutes...she even has the same picture in a frame by her bed.

She loves her Emmy.

Emmy loves her tons too!

Enough to take time off work next week to come see her...we can't wait!!!

******************************

So this is becoming a blog about Elsie...oh well...

I write about what goes on in our day..and lately our days have been consumed with Elsie.

But good news today.

She has been ROCKIN' it today!!!

She woke up grumpy...

But she wanted breakfast this morning...which she hasn't had for about a week....

Then she kept eating...cereal, pudding, ice cream...I thought she would be sick.

She played really good all day.

Not very much crying.

She is so close to being back to her sweet little self.

I weighed her today.

I knew she had lost weight...her little body is just a tiny skeleton!

The day we did the surgery, she weighed 29 lbs.

Today she is 24 lbs.

FIVE POUNDS!!!

That is a lot!

I think about what a difference 5 pounds makes on a adult body...think about it on one that is already too tiny!

So I can't wait to fatten her up now that she is eating real food!

Playing....

Isn't play dough the greatest creation???

Elsie played with it today, and it made her very happy.

She is doing pretty good today.

Still pretty weak and tired.

But I think we are close to having our little sweet Elsie back!

After school Madi got to play with our new friend who moved in across the street.

Cassi wasn't very happy about it.

But her and I made a cute little Taylor Swift cut-out picture...and she played with Play dough.

She was pretty happy.

She made quite the mess...but she was happy.

******************

Tonight was back to school night for Cassi class.

I am really excited about Cassi's teacher...and I am so excited about how excited Cassi is about school!

It is gonna be a great year!

More LOVES from afar...

I think this little girl has received something from someone who loves her EVERY DAY since she had her tonsils out.

She is getting pretty spoiled rotten...and she deserves it.

She got a very cute little bumble bee and flower card from aunt Emmy today...she was so excited about the 'I Love You' sign Emmy drew inside...but I do think that a surprise visit from Aunt Emmy might be even better...(I am just teasing...)

Thanks Emmy!!!

She also got a package in the mail today from her Dussy Boy.

(I hope you don't think this gets you out of wearing your orange and blue for the rest of the season!)

It was just the thing we needed to get Elsie up and out of bed...she had so much fun...

Thanks Dussy Boy!!!

******

We actually got out of the house today...

It wasn't bad.

We got some grocery shopping done.

We got home and she had a little melt-down.

She was just so tired!

I am wondering how long it is gonna take to get her energy and strength back up...

And I am wondering how long it is gonna take for her to adjust to going back to school!

She is a tough little girl, though...we will get through it!

Go BSU!!!

It's the big game tonight!!!

We LOVE this time of year!

He is in a shirt that is too little and a hat that is too big...

I need to invest in some bronco gear for this boy!

Now that is one adorable little girl, right!

She is wearing her bronco shirt, specially made for her by her Dussy boy.

(Dussy, I know the bet you made with Brent...I am gonna hold you to it! If we win, you cheer for us ALL YEAR!!!)

*****************************

Today was a good, no great, day.

I had a special visitor stop by this morning.

My amazing friend, who shall remain nameless...stopped by and told me she was there to help me clean the house.

I was so grateful, a little embarrassed...but so grateful.

The girls were such great helpers.

Elsie was good the whole time, watching Dora...

Porter was mad when my friend left...she took the girls with her to go play...and he wanted to be with her too...it was cute.

I fed Porter lunch and put him down for a nap...

Then I gave Elsie my full attention.

She wasn't feeling so good.

I tried to hold her...then she wanted me to put her down, then hold her, then put her down...over and over...finally I got her to let me hold her and rock her to sleep.

I fell asleep with her for a little bit.

It was nice.

Then I got a quick shower, did a few other things around the house before Porter woke up...

It was very relaxing.

Just what I needed.

Thanks so much to my friend who shall remain nameless.

Sunday...

Well, we made it through the day.

We skipped church, obviously.

With Brent at work, and Elsie not all better yet, we weren't gonna try it.

So we laid around and stayed in our jammies all day.

Elsie kinda had a rough day.

She did a lot of crying and sleeping.

But when she was happy, she was HAPPY!

She really has the most perfect smile...even with that dang Binky...

I finally got her to take a bath today.

She was one dirty little girl.

She had medicine in her hair...and food in there...and who knows what else.

I needed her to take a bath...but I DID NOT want to make her upset.

My friend Jenni took the other kids to the park this afternoon, thanks Jenni!

Then I went and put my swim suit on and told Elsie I was gonna take a bubble bath.

I got the bath all full and bubbly...she was pretty weary of me...but sat on my lap and watched the bath fill up.

Then I set her on the floor and jumped in the tub in my swim suit.

Then I played with the bubbles and made a big spectacle out of it.

She stuck her arms in and I convinced her to take her jammies off so they wouldn't get wet...

Then I got her to sit on the side of the tub to stick her toes in...

Then I just pulled her in the tub with her tights and diaper on.

She looked at me like I was crazy, but then she thought it was funny.

It took some trickery to get her hair wet and shampooed and rinsed off...she got mad at me a few times...but I recovered quickly.

I finally got her all done and out and dried off, then she got mad.

Really mad.

She wanted to go to bed and she wanted me to leave.

I hate leaving her when she is crying...but sometimes that is just what she wants...and it breaks my heart!

So she didn't get her hair brushed...but I would rather have snarls then crunchy old medicine in her hair!

She is sleeping now...and I hope she has a good night.

I assume tomorrow will go like today did...

I hope I can just keep her comfortable and try to stay away from crying...it has got to hurt her throat like crazy!

********************************

I love the way this boy carries his trucks around.

He grabs their ladders and drags them around.

Just adorable...

(Hey, look, he is wearing a shirt again!)

One project checked off the list...YAY!!!

I am including this picture, only because I think she looks so darn cute playing her guitar!!!

Great work Cassi...you are a natural!

******************************

Looky-looky!!!

My chairs are done!!!

My chairs I got for my birthday, back in march!!!

The picture is terrible lighting...I need to take one during the day...

But now I am so excited to work on my table, and cabinets and counters...oh man...there is so much on my to-do list!!!

I am really happy with how they turned out.

I didn't take any short-cuts with this make-over...like I usually do.

I want them to last.

So we did it right!
I hope to find some cool turned legs to use when I re-do the table....that would look much better, right???

*************************************

Elsie is doing much better today.

She did throw-up this morning...but that might have been more to do with her ice-cream that she had for breakfast...

Hey, if I can get her to eat something...ANYTHING...I am gonna do it!

We did have a pretty scary experience giving her antibiotics to her today.

She holds the medicine in the back of her throat, and won't breathe...I am sure she feels like she is drowning.

Well, today...she didn't breath...and she still didn't breath.

I tired everything I knew to do...

She was turning blue.

SHE COULD NOT BREATH!

Finally Brent ran over and grabbed her from me and whacked her back, and got her to take a breath.

I can't do it.

I can't do that to my poor little Baby girl anymore.

It broke my heart.

She had a pretty good day after she recovered from that.

She has her beautiful smile back.

And her voice.

Her little voice is so sweet.

Like a little angel.

And surprisingly loud without those huge tonsils in there!

I think, THINK, we are through the worst...

I sure hope we are.

She just melts my heart...

She is just the sweetest little thing, with the best hugs!

Lots of LOVE...

There are a lot of people out there who love this little girl.

She has had so many well wishers...and presents.

She is a little spoiled!

Thanks so much to everyone who has helped to make her recovery as good as possible!!!

She got this card from Grandma Ene today, and it could not have come at a better time.

Elsie slept most of the morning until about 2:00 in the afternoon.

She was very lethargic, and not drinking...

I was getting really concerned about how she looked and how she was acting.

We came close to taking her to see if she needed IV's at the emergency room...

Well, I convinced her to have some ice cream...and then I gave her the card that Grandma sent in the mail.

She was so excited...not only was it a card...but it had STRIP on it!!!

Thanks Grandma...you saved the day!

She is doing better.

She has had o pain medication today, I still had to do the antibiotics...

My heart was broken today.

She wouldn't even let me hold her...cause I think she thought I was gonna give her medicine if she allowed me to hold her.

That makes me sad.

But we made amends tonight, and she told me she loves me and promised to love me tomorrow too.

I love you Elsie Rose...get better soon!

Recovering...

Today was kinda a weird day with Elsie.

They said that the first few days to expect her to just lay around and not do much.

Except the last two days, it has been hard to keep her from running around.

So I was a little worried today when she wasn't doing anything.

She wouldn't even drink.

And she stayed in bed all morning long.

But she wasn't crying...but she wasn't doing anything else.

When it came time for medicine, I would ask her if she was hurting anywhere, and she would grab her neck.

So we tried talking to her about how the medicine makes her feel better.
Well, needless to say, her medication was spread out pretty far today...

It just kills me to give it to her.

I really feel like I am drowning my own child.

Well...at about 1:30, I needed to give her antibiotics to her...so we did the pain stuff at the same time.

I thought she would hate me forever.

She looked at me like she couldn't believe that I was doing this to her.

I hate that.

Then she wanted to go back to bed...

So I took her...she wouldn't look at me.

She was very upset with me.

So I laid her down and asked her if she still loved me.

She gave me her "I Love You" sign.

And I knew we were good.

I can't wait until we can get past this medication thing.

I really believe she would rather have her throat in pain, than take the medicine...but I can't do that either!

Elsie loves to make this sign too.

We got the idea from Taylor Swift (who we all love).

A little heart made out of your hands...

Elsie is so excited that she has mastered it!

Isn't she a cutie?

I am sure glad she still loves me after I torture her.

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Hey, and look...

Porter is wearing a shirt!!!!

Porter is doing good with his ear infections...he is just clingy...

He had a lot of fun helping Dad clean out the garage...

I was taking pictures of Dads old tools to sell, and he crawled right in the pictures.

I think I might now a little boy who would LOVE to have Dads old tools...

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The big girls got to go swimming with the Young's tonight.

It was fun for them to get out and play...

And I have to tell you...Madi has been a very pleasant girl to be around.

She has been so helpful.

She willingly helps with Porter

She is being nice to Cassi.

She is letting Cassi sleep in her room tonight so Elsie doesn't wake Cassi up...

She talks to me likes she likes to be around me...I am loving it!

I like 4th grade!

Melt-down

Yesterday she was a little emotional...but I think today took the cake!

Cassi had a complete meltdown today.

She is so worn out and exhausted from being at school all day.

But I am sure she will adjust.

It is sad to see Cassi so upset...

It looks mean that I took pictures...but I warned her.

I told her I would take pictures if she didn't stop so she could see how silly she was being...

Well, that didn't work.

I am sure she will fully adjust after a couple weeks...right???

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Elsie is doing really good.

If you would have asked me last night at 3:30, 4:30 and 5:30 a.m....I would have not said that things were going good.

Last night was bad.

She hates the medicine...she hates it even more at night time...
I hate giving it to her...and I have to every 3 hours!!!

She holds it in the back of her throat and won;t swallow it, and she holds onto me for dear life cause she probably feels like she is drowning.

All I can say is I hope that part gets easier.

Other than the times she has to get her medicine...she is AWESOME!

But every three hours and then twice a day for the antibiotics...that is A LOT of unwanted medicine!

Oh, and on top of it all...Brent took Porter to the Dr. today cause he has been acting clingy and rotten (more than usual)...and he was talking about his ears today...and sure enough, he has double ear infections!!!

Poor little boy.

He can be as rotten as he wants.