LOVED my birthday!

Normally I'm fine with my birthday coming and going with not a lot of mention being made about it, but this was such a good one that I can't let it go without a big "thank you" to those who made it so special.

My birthday was on a Sunday, and Eric had call on Saturday, so Cari, Garrett and their family came to stay the night so that someone would be there to make me breakfast in the morning. Saturday night, Cari and I were real party animals as we each laid on a couch, trying to stay awake and visit, just to enjoy the time. We were in bed by ten. Before the couches, I did whoop her in some card playing.

Sunday morning, Cari made me a delicious breakfast, then played a special birthday edition "How well do you know your Mom/Aunt" game with the kids - all in honor of me. :) Eric made it home just as they were getting ready to leave so that they could make it back home before church.

Eric has been working a lot of long hours and was really worried about me having a lame birthday, with him sleeping the day away - especially being post call. So he took only a half hour nap, at my insistance, then helped me get everyone ready for church. That in and of itself was a nice treat because he's usually gone on Sunday mornings. After church he made dinner, baked me a cake (quite possibly the first one since we've been married), and entertained the kids, all on very little sleep. I could tell he was exhausted, but he refused any help from me and ordered me away whenever I tried. He apologized all day and for the rest of the week for not doing more for me for my birthday. He didn't have time to have the kids make cards, etc, etc... What he doesn't understand is that his all day sacrifice meant more to me than anything else he could have done or given me. I knew the hours he'd been working. I knew how tired he was. I knew how much he'd have loved to crash on the couch, or in bed, for that matter. But instead, he forgot about himself, and did all that he could so that my day wasn't a bust. And he succeeded. Not only was it not a bust, but it was absolutely great.

Thanks to so many of you for your birthday wishes and to Cari and Fam for sacrificing to come and see me. I really appreciated it!

Side Note: Carter was asking me what I wanted for my birthday. I started responding with the usual "hugs and kisses, pictures, etc." when I decided that what I really wanted was for him to clean his room.

"No mom, what else do you want."

"I really want you to clean your room. That's what I want more than anything."

"Mom, not an option." Conversation closed.

Fall Break or bust...and Bust...and BUST again!

Fall Break. What a wonderful concept! I'd been looking forward to it since the day I discovered we had one. A whole week to do whatever we wanted when the weather was actually cool enough to enjoy doing it! I quickly began fantasizing about camping trips, hiking, etc., until Eric's schedule crushed that (but not without giving me fleeting hope first). So I had to change my plans, but that was okay as long as we did something and enjoyed doing it. My first stop was to be Flagstaff (I knew Stacie would have no trouble entertaining us) and then on to Thatcher for my 10 year high school reunion.

The first Saturday of Fall Break is when Carter got sick while our friends were visiting. My poor little boy was miserable. His main symptons were fever and headache, but it was enough to wipe him out. I was hopeful that it would pass quickly since we were scheduled to depart to Flag first thing Monday morning. Sunday I was calling Eric at the hospital - wondering what the few dots were that started appearing on Carter and by Monday afternoon Carter was covered from head to toe in a horrible rash (still with fever and headache). It was in his ears, in his mouth - everywhere. I took him to the Dr., and he said it was just a viral infection. Still - not one we wanted to spread. So much for Flagstaff.

Meanwhile, Eric thought it would be fun if he got the flu. Body aches, chills, cough, congestion, fever, the works. My poor little boy #2 was miserable. He still had go to work by 4:30 every morning, but they were somewhat compassionate and would send him home around noon every day. Why they wanted him there at all, I don't know.

Carter's fever finally broke on Tuesday, and although he was having a hard time eating because of the sores in his mouth from the rash, I called him illness free. I was determined to do something fun, so me and the kids left Eric in bed and set up the tent in the backyard for a little camping trip. This might be my new favorite way to camp! Everything I needed, conveniently a few steps away...including a potty! When Ashlyn was miserable and not sleeping well, instead of not sleeping myself all night long, I took her and plunked her into bed. When Isaac woke up in the middle of the night, needing to go potty, I said "good luck" and stayed cozy in my blankets. When I got a little cold in the early morning, I made sure the kids were snug, then went inside. You get the idea!

However, backyard camping wasn't enough for me, so Wednesday evening, everyone still fever free, we headed to Thatcher for an extra day of fun with Grandma and Grandpa. Thursday morning we woke up with dreams of apple picking at Angle's Orchard and roasting marshmallows over a fire up on Mt. Graham. By the time Grandma got back from the store with our supplies around lunch, Isaac was curled up on the couch, sound asleep - with a fever, while Ashlyn was moaning on the chair - with a fever. Scratch the mountains.

Stacie made it to town Thursday night, bringing with her, Kailan, my lifesaver, to watch my kids so that I could enjoy my reunion festivities. It was also Stacie's 20 year reunion and my Dad's 40 year reunion. Friday the kids were still sick, Carter was still having a hard time eating, and I guiltily left (guilt half from leaving the kids when they were sick and half from being happy to leave the kids while they were sick!) to the assembly and parade, then dinner with friends and the football game, starting to not feel well myself. I'm so glad I didn't miss the reunion. I had such a fun time catching up with old friends. Being out of state for the last several years, it had been a long time since I had seen most of them. After the game we had a get together to just visit, with the promise of more activities the next day. By Friday night, Isaac and Ashlyn were both fever free, so I was excited to take the kids to the family picnic Saturday afternoon so that everyone could meet my family. Not so. Ashlyn started a fever again and lo and behold, so did Carter. Oh, and Eric called to let me know that he had progressed to strep throat. I skipped it all together, tried to sleep off some of my own yuckiness, went to a good friend's baby shower and then enjoyed our catered dinner that night. By the time I got home Sunday, I felt like I had hit a brick wall. I climbed into bed (Eric was at work) and told Isaac he was in charge. He did pretty good and I was able to get some sleep. This saga is getting a little long, even for journal keeping. Ashlyn got considerable worse, we both eventually got better, and then I've spent the last week trying to recuperate mentally after two solid weeks of sickness. Phew! Glad we're done with that!

Fall Break was a little less than fantastic for Isaac (and for me, to be honest), and he was disappointed over all the missed activities, but don't worry - we'll try again in the Spring!

Isaac reading to Carter when he wasn't feeling good. What a good brother!

Poor baby girl! This was into our second week when she was on the "getting worse" side of things.

Fun with Friends

We had visitors! Our friends from Galveston days, Jason and Erica Yule and their son, Bryce were coming to Phoenix from Albuquerque for the Houston Texans vs. Arizona Cardinals football game and detoured to Tucson for a day to hang out. We had a lot of fun seeing them and I think we were all exhausted by the end of the day! Eric and Jason left early to go shooting while Erica and I got the kids ready for the Lowe's workshop (can't miss it even if we do have visitors!). It was by far the easiest project we've done so far and would have only taken us a few minutes had we not built every single one of ours upside down. So after pulling apart four projects and putting them back together, we headed to the International Wildlife Museum to meet Eric and Jason.

The kids loved the museum and we scared them out of ever wanting to go to Africa by watching "The Deadly Dozen of Africa" at the end. Jason completely spoiled Ashlyn the whole time. She's the only child, besides his own, that he gives the time of day to. I think it started out as a challenge to make her like him, but I think he has kept it up to torture me! She REALLY enjoyed her time while they were here!

I had my camera with me the whole time we were together, but these were the only pictures I took. Sorry Erica and Bryce!

At the end of the movie at the museum, Carter started feeling crummy and was full blown sick by the time we made it to the car. We knew he wasn't faking when he turned down McDonald's playland to please go home. You'll get a full update on all of our kids' illnesses in the next post..

I took him home while the others went to McDonald's and then Erica and I crashed with Carter for the afternoon while Jason, Eric, Isaac, and Bryce went golfing. Eric hasn't had a chance to go for months, so it was really nice for him. Isaac was beaming when they got home because he beat Eric on a hole. He's ready to take Dad on any time now!

We finished the evening off with pizza, visiting, a little internet TV and a early bedtime. We were party animals!

Thanks so much for going out of your way to see us. We had a great time and can't wait to see you again!

Compassion for a Cricket

This morning, Carter found a cricket in the house. He assumed his usual duty of catching it and tossing it outside. Midway through his daily ritual, he came back to tell me that the cricket wasn't trying to get away or jump or anything. I suggested that the cricket might be sick, to which he responded that he thought it just couldn't walk. My thoughts were "And???" while his thoughts were on a very different wave length. He carefully took the cricket back outside where he proceeded to talk to it, play with it, sing to it, try to teach it how to jump, and give it rides on his bike. Whether the cricket actually appreciated his efforts or not - or if it just led to his quicker demise, I appreciated them. Just a little insight into who my Carter boy is...

The Fruit of my Labor

Aren't they pretty? I had such a great Saturday. I set Eric's laptop up on my counter and peeled and diced pears all morning while I watched Conference. I made some yummy (at least the batch that turned out!) Apple Pear Raspberry fruit leather, too. I paused for a picnic with my kids, who had been playing so wonderfully by themselves, and then finished the process to more inspired words. We finished the day with a trip to the library and playing with friends at the park. I just love days like this where the kids aren't fighting, my house feels peaceful, and everything just seems right.

Bountiful Baskets

Truth be told, I'm not much of a coupon clipper. I love a good deal, but it has to basically fall in my lap. I'd rather spend a few extra dollars at one grocery store than save a few dollars after searching ads, finding coupons, and driving to three different grocery stores. I finally found a deal that I couldn't pass up, despite the extra effort. I think it was the adventure aspect that really grabbed me.

At 6:30 this morning I loaded my kids up and headed to my Bountiful Baskets pick-up site. Bountiful Baskets is a non-profit organization put together by some moms to save money on produce. I'm not sure how it all actually works, or how it got so big, but I'm hooked! Every other weekend they bring produce to different drop-off sites all over Arizona, Utah, and one site each in Idaho and Washington. You pay $16.50 ($15.00 + $1.50 handling) for a laundry basket full of fruits and vegetables. They also offer other deals. I went in on a 40lb box of pears. My portion - 10lbs - cost me $3! Seriously - Can you beat that? The fun part is not knowing what you are getting. It's totally random, but my kids had such a good time laying out the spread to see what we got and it was good!

This week's basket had 1 cantalope, 1 carton of raspberries, 4 mini cucumbers, two bunches of bananas, 8 apples, 1 bunch of green leaf lettuce, 5 tomatos, 4 artichokes, a bunch of purple grapes, 7 plums, 7 pears, a head of brocoli, and a 10 lb bag of potatos. Not bad! One of the pears was rotten, but everything else looked great. We had the cantalope for breakfast and it was delicious! If you want more info on it, their website is www.bountifulbaskets.org and there is a bit more info at http://theobsessiveshopper.net/ Enjoy the bounty!

Happy Birthday, Carter!

Carter is 5! We've been counting down the days until his birthday for a VERY long time, so it was nice that it finally arrived! Carter is kind of the pulse of our family. He seems to have the most enthusiasm, curiosity, animation, and drive of all the kids. The others may like something, but he seems to bring the passion into it. His excitement about life often exhausts me and he can frustrate me to the point of tears, but he also has the ability to make me happy faster than anyone else. His cute little face can work wonders...especially when he bats his long, beautiful eyelashes. He has the brightest eyes and an extremely contagious laugh. His sense of smell can rival any canine's. One of his most common phrases is "What's that I smell?" said either with delight or disgust - the latter often to our embarrassment. His gift of smell is usually pretty funny, unless he is smelling his cup before he drinks from it (it always smells clean to me!) or holding his nose all through breakfast while I eat my Malt-O-Meal. Whatever his quirks, I love that he's apart of our family!

This year he wanted a dinosaur cake for his birthday. I had found a pan at a garage sale several months ago and he discovered it when we were unpacking. I was thrilled. It was much easier than all of the other ideas he had been coming up with.

Eric had call on Carter's Birthday, so we blew out the candles and ate cake the night before.

Fortunately, Eric didn't have to leave until 8:30a (doesn't happen very often!) so he was able to take Carter to pick up some donuts and spend a little time with him on his birthday morning.

Carter got all kinds of "totally awesome" things. He was very excited about most of them.

We actually didn't get much response out of the bicycle, which was completely baffling and a bit disappointing. Fortunately, he enjoyed it more once we forced him on it before Eric had to leave for work. We also got him a "Big Book of Experiments" that is saving my life!

As soon as Daddy was gone, we loaded in the car and headed to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. Isaac had the day off of school for teacher inservice, so we thought we'd party it up. We met Grandma and Grandpa there and had a great time, even with the heat. His favorite part was the "Dinosaur Dig." Paleontologist is high on his list of future careers.

He got to touch a lizard (can't remember it's actual name) and a snake. Good times! Apparently Ashlyn touched the snake, too. She was with Grandma, so I followed the boys since I figured she'd cower once she got closer anyway and I totally missed it!

After the museum, we ate lunch at McDonald's and then left without a single complaint to the big event - the fire station! We had gone to Lowe's "Build and Grow" workshop the Saturday before. We built firetrucks and then they had an engine outside for the kids to see. The firefighters were asking Carter some basic questions about some of their equipment when he decided to get down to the real stuff. They were surprised to hear him ask about "the jaws of life" and got even more tickled when he patted their generator and asked if that was their power unit. He continued to awe them with his fire engine knowledge until they invited him to their fire station so that the junior firefighter could follow him around for a couple of days. We did take them up on their offer and I set it up for his birthday, which was the highlight of his day.

If I ever wonder if he had a good birthday, all I have to do is look at this picture of him spraying the fire hose - pure bliss!

We weren't there too long before the last team got called out. Carter was pretty disappointed that we had to leave, but fortunately there was a firefighter "on leave" that was there, so he let us look around a few more minutes.

Grandpa lifted the boys up so they could slide down a real firefighter's pole.

I'm glad that we were all able to go. I think Cindy enjoyed it as much as Carter did!

After the station, we went back home to open Carter's present from Grandma and Grandpa. Tools! Building kits! Hooray!

Grandpa helped him build his tool box before they had to go home.

I think he was starting to get a little pictured out!

We ended the day with bike riding, friends over for pizza, and as much PBS as he wanted. We were all exhausted by the end of the day, but it was worth it. Happy Birthday, Carter!